superior

[ suh-peer-ee-er, soo- ]
See synonyms for superior on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. higher in station, rank, degree, importance, etc.: a superior officer.

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

  1. of higher grade or quality: superior merchandise.

  2. greater in quantity or amount: superior numbers.

  3. showing a consciousness or feeling of being better than or above others: superior airs.

  4. not yielding or susceptible (usually followed by to): to be superior to temptation.

  5. higher in place or position: We moved our camp to superior ground.

  6. 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.

  7. Anatomy. (of an organ or part)

    • higher in place or position; situated above another.

    • toward the head.: Compare inferior (def. 7).

  8. Printing. written or printed high on a line of text, as the “2” in a2b; 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).

  1. Ecclesiastical. the head of a monastery, convent, or the like.

Origin of superior

1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English (adjective), from Latin, equivalent to super(us) “situated above” (adjective derivative of super; see super-) + -ior, comparative suffix; see -er4

Other 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

Words Nearby superior

Other definitions for Superior (2 of 2)

Superior
[ 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.

Origin of Superior

2
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)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use superior in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for superior (1 of 2)

superior

/ (suːˈpɪərɪə) /


adjective
  1. greater in quality, quantity, etc

  2. of high or extraordinary worth, merit, etc

  1. higher in rank or status: a superior tribunal

  2. displaying a conscious sense of being above or better than others; supercilious

  3. (often postpositive foll by to) not susceptible (to) or influenced (by)

  4. placed higher up; situated further from the base

  5. 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

  6. (of a plant ovary) situated above the calyx and other floral parts

  7. anatomy (of one part in relation to another) situated above or higher

  8. 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

  1. (often capital) the head of a community in a religious order

Origin of superior

1
C14: from Latin, from superus placed above, from super above

usage For superior

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 of superior

  • superioress, fem n
  • superiority (suːˌpɪərɪˈɒrɪtɪ), noun
  • superiorly, adverb

British Dictionary definitions for Superior (2 of 2)

Superior

/ (suːˈpɪərɪə, sjuː-) /


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)

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