引け目・ひけ目|ひけめhikeme[0]heiban (flat)

1. nounsense of inferiority; one's weak point
   私なんか、親戚しんせきに会あうと引け目ひけめを感かんじてしまうわ。↗

   I feel not quite up to snuff when I meet my relatives.

• Synonym劣等感れっとうかんNeutralA psychology term for the sense of inferiority; more abstract than 「引け目」, it points to the inner psychological state.
• SynonymコンプレックスNeutralAn everyday loanword, common in speech; usually an inferiority about one specific thing, as in 「背が低いのがコンプレックス」.
• RelatedインフェリオリティーコンプレックスWrittenThe full loanword for an inferiority complex; belongs to written/formal prose and is rare — normally say 「劣等感」 or 「コンプレックス」.
• Related劣弱意識れつじゃくいしきWrittenA written term for a sense of inferiority; very rare, and 「劣等感」 is the normal word to use.
• Related劣勢感れっせいかんWrittenA written term for the feeling of being at a disadvantage; very rare, and 「劣等感」 is the usual word.
• Antonym優越感ゆうえつかんNeutralThe feeling of being better than others; the direct opposite of 「引け目」, the sense of inferiority.
• Antonym誇りほこりNeutralPride, the feeling of being proud or honored; the opposite of 「引け目」, the sense of being lesser in front of others.

In everyday speech, an inferiority about something specific is 「コンプレックス」; feeling small before others is 「引け目を感じる」; psychology uses 「劣等感」. The rare written terms can all be replaced by 「劣等感」. Antonyms: 「優越感」, 「誇り」.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

1. 自分じぶんが他人たにんと比くらべて劣おとっていると考かんがえること。