superior

¹

[ suh-peer-ee-er, soo- ]

adjective

1. higher in station, rank, degree, importance, etc.:

   a superior officer.

2. above the average in excellence, merit, intelligence, etc.:

   superior math students.

   Synonyms: matchless, first-rate, unrivaled, distinguished, excellent

3. of higher grade or quality:

   superior merchandise.

4. greater in quantity or amount:

   superior numbers.

5. showing a consciousness or feeling of being better than or above others:

   superior airs.

   Synonyms: snobbish, arrogant, haughty

6. not yielding or susceptible (usually followed by to ):

   to be superior to temptation.

7. higher in place or position:

   We moved our camp to superior ground.

8. Botany.
   1. situated above some other organ.
   2. (of a calyx) seeming to originate from the top of the ovary.
   3. (of an ovary) free from the calyx.
9. Anatomy. (of an organ or part)
   1. higher in place or position; situated above another.
   2. toward the head. Compare inferior ( def 7 ).
10. Printing. written or printed high on a line of text, as the “2” in a 2 b; superscript. Compare inferior ( def 9 ).

noun

1. one superior to another.
2. Also called superscript. Printing. a superior letter, number, or symbol. Compare inferior ( def 11 ).
3. Ecclesiastical. the head of a monastery, convent, or the like.

Superior

²

[ suh-peer-ee-er, soo- ]

noun

1. 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.
2. a port in northwestern Wisconsin, on Lake Superior.

superior

¹

/ suːˌpɪərɪˈɒrɪtɪ; suːˈpɪərɪə /

adjective

1. greater in quality, quantity, etc
2. of high or extraordinary worth, merit, etc
3. higher in rank or status

   a superior tribunal

4. displaying a conscious sense of being above or better than others; supercilious
5. often postpositivefoll byto not susceptible (to) or influenced (by)
6. placed higher up; situated further from the base
7. astronomy
   1. (of a planet) having an orbit further from the sun than the orbit of the earth
   2. (of a conjunction) occurring when the sun lies between the earth and an inferior planet
8. (of a plant ovary) situated above the calyx and other floral parts
9. anatomy (of one part in relation to another) situated above or higher
10. printing (of a character) written or printed above the line; superscript

noun

1. a person or thing of greater rank or quality
2. printing a character set in a superior position
3. often capital the head of a community in a religious order

Superior

²

/ sjuː-; suːˈpɪərɪə /

noun

1. 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)

Usage

Superior should not be used with than: he is a better (not a superior ) poet than his brother; his poetry is superior to (not superior than ) his brother's

Derived Forms

• superiority, noun
• suˈperioress, noun:feminine
• suˈperiorly, adverb

Other Words From

• 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of superior¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English (adjective), from Latin, equivalent to super(us) “situated above” (adjective derivative of super; super- ) + -ior, comparative suffix; -er ⁴

Origin of superior²

First recorded in 1780–85; translation of French Lac Supérieur “Upper Lake” (i.e., the lake above Lake Huron), or “Higher Lake” (in elevation above sea level)

Word History and Origins

Origin of superior¹

C14: from Latin, from superus placed above, from super above

Example Sentences

“Homo sapiens is a unique species in that our vastly superior intelligence does not seem, in the majority of individuals at least, to inhibit irrational destruction of its own species,” dos Santos told Salon.

From Salon

Such is Brook's superior record, KP has started wearing Harry Brook pyjamas.

From BBC

Plugrà Premium European Style Butter delivers a superior quality as a result of using 82% butterfat and a slower churn than most butters.

From Salon

On Tuesday night, Barnier made a last-ditch attempt on national TV to convince MPs not to vote him down, calling for MPs to vote "beyond their political differences" and for a "common and superior interest".

From BBC

The electrical signals, lasting on average 120 milliseconds, were then found to move down and across the folds of the precentral gyrus to a neighboring auditory cortical subregion, called the superior temporal gyrus.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• admirable
• exceptional
• first-rate
• good
• high-caliber
• preferable
• remarkable
• superhuman