superior

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

/ səˈpɪər i ər, sʊ- /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR superior ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

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).

noun

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.

Nearby words

Origin of superior

1350–1400; Middle English (adj.) < Latin, equivalent to super(us) situated above (adj. derivative of super; see super-) + -ior comparative suffix; see -er⁴

SYNONYMS FOR superior

2 excellent, distinguished, unrivaled, first-rate, matchless.

5 haughty, arrogant, snobbish.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR superior ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formssu·pe·ri·or·ly, adverbqua·si-su·pe·ri·or, adjectiveun·su·pe·ri·or, adjectiveun·su·pe·ri·or·ly, adverb

Definition for superior (2 of 2)

Superior

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

/ səˈpɪər i ər, sʊ- /

noun

Lake, a lake in the N central United States and S Canada: the northernmost of the Great Lakes; the largest body of fresh water in the world. 350 miles (564 km) long; 31,820 sq. mi. (82,415 sq. km); greatest depth, 1290 feet (393 meters); 602 feet (183 meters) above sea level.

a port in NW Wisconsin, on Lake Superior.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for superior

Hitchcock sends the script--unread--to Thom Mount and his superior, Ned Tanen.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The essence of nearly every Disney film is that women need saving, preferably by a man from a superior social and economic class.
Sexism Begins in the Toy Aisle|Nancy Kaffer|November 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Virginia Woolf loved Wuthering Heights and considered Emily Brontë superior to her sister Charlotte.
The Birth of the Novel|Nick Romeo|November 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Never the less, Drone Boning is by far the superior production.
Anatomy of a Drone Porn: ‘Drone Boning’ Makes Sex Look Like Art|Aurora Snow|November 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The attitude of the local colleagues at first puzzled us, and then made us snicker in a superior way.
The Stacks: H.L. Mencken on the 1904 Baltimore Fire|H.L. Mencken|October 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I learned later that he had implored the Superior on his knees not to lay this dreadful command upon him, but all in vain.
The Monk and The Hangman's Daughter|Adolphe Danziger De Castro and Ambrose Bierce
Hence in the adult the left side of the superior mesenteric vessel gives rise to the vasa intestini tenuis.
The Anatomy of the Human Peritoneum and Abdominal Cavity|George. S. Huntington
For instance, behind the plaster is the modern metal lath so superior to the old wooden variety.
If You're Going to Live in the Country|Thomas H. Ormsbee and Richmond Huntley
After a short time a young priest appeared with the intelligence that his superior awaited the Prince's visit.
An Egyptian Princess, Complete|Georg Ebers
This official held more the position of a steward, or valet to the superior, than that of a cook.
English Monastic Life|Abbot Gasquet

British Dictionary definitions for superior (1 of 2)

superior

/ (suːˈpɪərɪə) /

adjective

greater in quality, quantity, etc

of high or extraordinary worth, merit, etc

higher in rank or statusa 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

noun

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

Derived Formssuperioress, fem nsuperiority (suːˌpɪərɪˈɒrɪtɪ), nounsuperiorly, adverb

Word Origin for superior

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

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

British Dictionary definitions for superior (2 of 2)

Superior

/ (suːˈpɪərɪə, sjuː-) /

noun

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

Word Origin and History for superior

superior

adj.

late 14c., "higher in position," from Old French superior, from Latin superiorem (nominative superior) "higher," comparative of superus "situated above, upper," from super "above, over" (see super-). Meaning "higher in rank or dignity" is attested from late 15c.; sense of "of a higher nature or character" is attested from 1530s. Original sense was preserved more strongly in French (cf. les étages supérieur "the upper stories"), and in Lake Superior, a loan-translation of French Lac Supérieur, literally "upper lake" (it has the highest elevation of the five Great Lakes).

Medicine definitions for superior

superior

[ su-pîr′ē-ər ]

adj.

Higher than another in rank, station, or authority.

Situated above or directed upward.

Situated nearer the top of the head.

superior

adjective

noun

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Nearby words

Origin of superior

Definition for superior (2 of 2)

Superior

noun

Examples from the Web for superior

British Dictionary definitions for superior (1 of 2)

superior

adjective

noun

Word Origin for superior

usage

British Dictionary definitions for superior (2 of 2)

Superior

noun

Word Origin and History for superior

superior

Medicine definitions for superior

superior

adj.