mother superior

American  

noun

mother superiors, plural mothers superior plural

1. the head of a Christian religious community for women.

---

mother superior British  

noun

1. the head of a community of nuns

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• mother superiors
  plural
• mothers superior
  plural

Etymology

Origin of mother superior

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

mother superior

A mother superior in her 40s, she has found a young acolyte, Richardis, deeply devoted to her and who paints representations of Hildegard’s visions.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 7, 2025

Bryant, one of the first to challenge that imbalance, became a mother superior to any number of young artists, including Hammons.

From The New Yorker ● Dec. 2, 2019

The nuns feed about 2,500 migrants once a day – rice, beans, eggs and bread – thought donations are scarce and local traders often try to gouge prices, said Sister Bertha López, the mother superior.

From The Guardian ● Jun. 5, 2019

Afterward she quietly told her mother superior, who allowed her to avoid other meetings with the priest.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 1, 2019

“The mother superior would never believe me. It’s a nest of lapsed bats here. But I wanted you to know the truth.”

From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García