superior
higher in station, rank, degree, importance, etc.: a superior officer.
above the average in excellence, merit, intelligence, etc.: superior math students.
of higher grade or quality: superior merchandise.
greater in quantity or amount: superior numbers.
showing a consciousness or feeling of being better than or above others: superior airs.
not yielding or susceptible (usually followed by to): to be superior to temptation.
higher in place or position: We moved our camp to superior ground.
Botany.
situated above some other organ.
(of a calyx) seeming to originate from the top of the ovary.
(of an ovary) free from the calyx.
Anatomy. (of an organ or part)
higher in place or position; situated above another.
toward the head.: Compare inferior (def. 7).
Printing. written or printed high on a line of text, as the “2” in a2b; superscript.: Compare inferior (def. 9).
one superior to another.
Also called superscript. Printing. a superior letter, number, or symbol.: Compare inferior (def. 11).
Ecclesiastical. the head of a monastery, convent, or the like.
Origin of superior
1Other words for superior
Other words from superior
- su·pe·ri·or·ly, adverb
- qua·si-su·pe·ri·or, adjective
- un·su·pe·ri·or, adjective
- un·su·pe·ri·or·ly, adverb
Other definitions for Superior (2 of 2)
Lake Superior, a lake in the north central United States and southern Canada: the northernmost of the Great Lakes; the largest body of fresh water in the world. 350 miles (564 kilometers) long; 31,820 square miles (82,415 square kilometers); greatest depth, 1,290 feet (393 meters); 602 feet (183 meters) above sea level.
a port in northwestern Wisconsin, on Lake Superior.
Origin of Superior
2Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use superior in a sentence
Peter Essele, head of portfolio management for Commonwealth Financial Network, believes JetBlue’s reputation for superior customer experience will give it an edge in the long term over more traditional carriers, well beyond the pandemic.
For diamonds, that superior imagery means Signet must take hundreds of pictures of an item to create a 360-degree composite photo so detailed that Drosos claims a customer can see better on the screen than in person.
The company behind Kay and Zales wants to give jewelry shopping a pandemic-era makeover | Phil Wahba | November 12, 2020 | FortuneCora’s 2018 title gives him a lifetime pass with Boston fans, and he was a highly popular figure with his players and his superiors alike.
For the Red Sox, rehiring Alex Cora makes sense. But it doesn’t look good. | Dave Sheinin | November 6, 2020 | Washington PostRoberts had witnessed what he sensed was a “dry run” for the Audubon hit at another Malcolm speech days earlier and reported it to his superiors.
However, Davis was the superior rebounder and would always rebound any shot that either of them missed.
Even my knowledge of life is a work of art superiorly composed.
The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition Vol. 4 (of 25) | Robert Louis Stevenson“They are not afraid of being shot, Sahib,” said he, smiling superiorly.
Cupid in Africa | P. C. WrenAlso in the axolotl, where there are douple pits, placed side by side, not only superiorly but at the same time inferiorly.
On the Genesis of Species | St. George MivartWhen the whaleboat was alongside, he descended into it first, superiorly, then invited Nau-hau to accompany him.
Jerry of the Islands | Jack LondonYou may say, superiorly: "He has expressed himself clumsily, but I can see what he means."
Literary Taste: How to Form It | Arnold Bennett
British Dictionary definitions for superior (1 of 2)
/ (suːˈpɪərɪə) /
greater in quality, quantity, etc
of high or extraordinary worth, merit, etc
higher in rank or status: a superior tribunal
displaying a conscious sense of being above or better than others; supercilious
(often postpositive foll by to) not susceptible (to) or influenced (by)
placed higher up; situated further from the base
astronomy
(of a planet) having an orbit further from the sun than the orbit of the earth
(of a conjunction) occurring when the sun lies between the earth and an inferior planet
(of a plant ovary) situated above the calyx and other floral parts
anatomy (of one part in relation to another) situated above or higher
printing (of a character) written or printed above the line; superscript
a person or thing of greater rank or quality
printing a character set in a superior position
(often capital) the head of a community in a religious order
Origin of superior
1usage For superior
Derived forms of superior
- superioress, fem n
- superiority (suːˌpɪərɪˈɒrɪtɪ), noun
- superiorly, adverb
British Dictionary definitions for Superior (2 of 2)
/ (suːˈpɪərɪə, sjuː-) /
Lake Superior a lake in the N central US and S Canada: one of the largest freshwater lakes in the world and westernmost of the Great Lakes. Area: 82 362 sq km (31 800 sq miles)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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