inferiors
inferiors — 形容詞
1. not as good in quality, skill, or value as what is expected — or not as good as
較差的
品質、能力或價值比他人或標準低的
not as good in quality, skill, or value as what is expected — or not as good as another person or thing
Chen found the hotel's breakfast inferior to the one they served last year.
Chen 覺得飯店的早餐比去年供應的差多了。
inferior to + noun for direct comparison
The substitute teacher's lesson was clearly inferior to Eva's usual work.
代課老師的課程明顯不如 Eva 平常的教學。
Fatima returned the shoes because the stitching was of inferior quality.
Fatima 因為縫線品質低劣而退掉了那雙鞋。
Rashid called the sequel inferior in pacing, acting, and story to the first film.
Rashid 認為續集在節奏、演技和故事方面都不如第一集。
Jing argued that no student should be made to feel inferior because of test scores.
Jing 認為不應該有學生因為考試成績而感到低人一等。
- worse
more direct and common in everyday speech; always implies a comparison
- substandard
emphasises failure to meet an official or expected level, often in formal contexts
- second-rate
informal and dismissive; suggests something is not in the top tier
- shoddy
specifically describes poor workmanship or cheap materials
- superior
better in quality or ability
- first-rate
of the highest quality
文法句型
inferior + to + noun phrase
用法筆記
Often used in comparisons with 'to' (inferior to someone or something), never 'than'. This sense is about quality and ability, not social position — for rank, see sense 2 (LOWER IN RANK).
常見錯誤
2. placed at a level beneath others in an organization, system, or social order
下級的
在組織或體系中地位較低的
placed at a level beneath others in an organization, system, or social order
Rosa was annoyed that an officer inferior to her had the final say.
Rosa 很不高興一個職級低於她的軍官擁有最終決定權。
inferior to + person — comparing rank
The town court is inferior to the state court, so Ben appealed his lost case to the higher one.
鎮級法院低於州級法院，因此 Ben 將敗訴的案件上訴到更高一級的法院。
Qing refused to take orders from a supervisor she considered inferior to her in skill.
Qing 拒絕接受她認為技能不及她的主管的命令。
In the navy, a lieutenant is inferior in rank to a commander.
在海軍中，上尉的軍階低於中校。
The city's noise rule was ruled inferior to federal law, so the factory kept running at night.
市裡的噪音規定被裁定效力低於聯邦法律，因此工廠夜間繼續運轉。
- subordinate
the standard term in workplace and organizational contexts
- junior
specifically refers to lower rank within a profession or hierarchy
- lower-ranking
neutral, descriptive alternative
文法句型
inferior + to + noun phrase
用法筆記
Frequently appears in formal, legal, or military contexts. Distinguish from sense 1 (NOT AS GOOD): this sense is about position in a hierarchy, not about quality.
常見錯誤
3. relating to the underside or bottom-facing surface of a single body part, as dis
下側的
身體部位或器官的下側表面
relating to the underside or bottom-facing surface of a single body part, as distinct from its upper side
The surgeon pointed to the inferior surface of the patient's liver on the hospital scan.
外科醫師指著醫院掃描影像上病患肝臟的下側表面。
inferior surface of + organ — anatomical usage
Chitra's science textbook showed the inferior aspect of the human foot in close detail.
Chitra 的科學教科書近距離展示了人類腳部的下側面細節。
Tiny veins lie close to the surface along the inferior side of the tongue.
細小的靜脈緊貼著舌頭下側的表面分布。
The students studied the inferior face of the brain during their biology class.
學生們在生物課上研究了大腦的下表面。
The inferior layer of the breathing muscle attaches to the lowest ribs and the spine.
呼吸肌的下層附著於最下方的肋骨和脊椎。
- superior
relating to the upper surface of a body part
文法句型
inferior + surface/aspect/side + of + body part
用法筆記
Limited to medical and anatomical writing. In everyday English, use 'underside' or 'bottom surface' instead.
4. referring to a body structure that lies below a similar structure higher up — of
下方的
身體結構位於另一結構之下
referring to a body structure that lies below a similar structure higher up — often one half of a pair like 'inferior X' and 'superior X'
The inferior vena cava is the large vein that carries blood from the legs and belly up to the heart.
下腔靜脈是將血液從雙腿和腹部送回心臟的大靜脈。
inferior vena cava — fixed anatomical term
The doctor showed Mina the inferior lobe of her lung on the X-ray and explained why it had collapsed.
醫師在 X 光片上向 Mina 指出她肺部的下葉，並解釋塌陷的原因。
An ultrasound scan found a small tear in Hana's inferior rectus muscle, just below her eye.
超音波掃描發現 Hana 的下直肌有一處小撕裂，就在她眼睛下方。
The inferior turbinate is a small bony shelf inside the nose that helps warm the air you breathe.
下鼻甲是鼻子內的小骨質薄板，能幫助加溫你吸入的空氣。
Lucia learned that the inferior colliculus, a small bump deep in the brain, helps process the sounds we hear.
Lucia 學到，下丘是腦部深處的一個小突起，能幫助處理我們聽到的聲音。
- superior
situated above another body part
文法句型
inferior + body part name
用法筆記
Restricted to medical and anatomical contexts. Describes a body part's position relative to another part — a structure is inferior to the one above it. Distinguish from sense 3 (BOTTOM SURFACE): this sense is about relative position, not about which surface faces downward.
inferiors — 名詞
1. a person who holds a lower position or has less authority, status, or importance
下屬
地位或權力低於他人的人
a person who holds a lower position or has less authority, status, or importance than others in a group
The captain rarely listened to suggestions from his inferiors on the team.
隊長很少聽取隊上下屬的建議。
inferiors — plural noun for lower-ranked people
Andre admired how the head nurse spoke kindly to every orderly, respecting her inferiors as much as the doctors.
Andre 欽佩護理長對每位勤務人員都和藹地說話，尊重下屬如同尊重醫師一樣。
Dan was tired of being treated like an inferior by the senior partners.
Dan 厭倦了被公司資深合夥人當作下屬對待。
In the old army, officers often spoke harshly to those they considered inferiors.
在舊式軍隊中，軍官經常對他們視為下屬的人說話苛刻。
Mei-Lin refused to see anyone as her inferior, whatever their job title.
Mei-Lin 不願把任何人看得比自己低一等，無論對方從事什麼工作。
- subordinate
neutral, standard term in workplace settings
- underling
dismissive and informal; can sound rude
- junior
refers specifically to someone of lower professional rank
- superior
a person of higher rank or status
用法筆記
Often used in the plural form (inferiors). Can sound arrogant or old-fashioned when used directly about people; 'subordinate' is more neutral in modern workplace English.