inferior

Compared meaning: low quality, badly made (adjective).

比较义项：质量低劣、劣质的（形容词）。

• cheap

  Cheap suggests low quality that comes from being made or sold inexpensively; common and everyday, used for goods, food or materials, often implying poor value for money.

  cheap强调因制作或售价低廉而质量差，是常见的日常用词，多形容商品、食物或材料，常暗示价格虽低但物有不值。

  The cheap plastic toy broke apart on its very first use.

  这个廉价的塑料玩具第一次使用就散架了。

• bum

  Bum is informal, mainly American slang for something worthless or badly made; used casually about objects, deals or situations, never in formal writing.

  bum是非正式的美式俚语，形容没有价值或做工低劣的东西，多用于随口谈论物品、交易或状况，不用于正式书面语。

  I bought a bum used car that broke down within a week.

  我买了一辆劣质的二手车，一周内就抛锚了。

• inferior 本词

  Inferior is formal and often comparative, meaning lower in quality than something else; common in reviews, business and technical writing, frequently followed by 'to'.

  inferior是正式用词，常用于比较，意为质量比另一物差，多见于评论、商业和技术写作中，后面常接to。

  Critics said the sequel's special effects were inferior to the original.

  评论家说续集的特效比原作逊色。

• coarse

  Coarse describes low-quality material that feels rough or is roughly made, focusing on texture and craftsmanship rather than price or overall worth.

  coarse形容质地粗糙、做工粗劣的材料，侧重于触感和加工工艺，而不是价格或整体价值。

  The coarse fabric scratched her skin and frayed after one wash.

  这种粗劣的布料刮得她皮肤难受，洗一次就磨损了。

Cheap, bum, inferior, and coarse all mean poor quality. Bum is slang; coarse means rough material or bad craftsmanship; inferior is a formal comparison word; cheap means low quality from being inexpensive. Not compared: cheap's 'low price' sense, bum's 'homeless person' sense, coarse's 'rude' sense.

这几个词都能形容“质量差”，但语气和使用场合不同：bum是非正式俚语，coarse偏重材质粗糙、做工不精，inferior是正式的比较用词，cheap强调因便宜而质量不好。这里不比较cheap的“便宜的”（价格）义项，也不比较bum的名词“流浪汉”义项，也不比较coarse的“粗鲁的”（举止、语言）义项。

Compared meaning: of poor quality or a lower standard (adjective).

比较义项：质量差、等级低（形容词）。

• low

  A plain, everyday word for poor quality; used directly before a noun or after a linking verb, without necessarily comparing to another thing.

  一个描述质量差的普通日常用词；可直接放在名词前或系动词后使用，不一定隐含与其他事物的比较。

  The store sells clothes made from surprisingly low quality material.

  这家商店出售的衣服所用材料质量出奇地低。

• inferior 本词

  A more formal word that often pairs with 'to', explicitly comparing something unfavourably against a standard or alternative, with a sharper critical tone.

  一个更正式的词，常与to搭配，明确将某物与某个标准或替代品作不利的比较，批评语气更强烈。

  Compared to the leather one, this inferior bag looks cheap and flimsy.

  与那个皮革包相比，这个较差的包看起来廉价又不结实。

Low and inferior can both describe poor quality, but low is plain and everyday, used directly before a noun or after a linking verb, without necessarily comparing to something else. Inferior is more formal and often pairs with 'to', comparing something unfavourably against a standard.

这两个词都可以形容某物质量差、档次低，但语气和用法略有不同：inferior更正式，常与to连用，表示与某标准或其他事物相比更差，带有较强的贬义色彩；low则较为笼统随意，可直接修饰名词，不一定隐含比较对象。这里不比较low表示“位置低”或“价格低”等其他义项。