superior

¹ American  

[suh-peer-ee-er, soo-] / səˈpɪər i ər, sʊ- /

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 byto ).

   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.

10. Printing. written or printed high on a line of text, as the “2” in a 2 b; superscript.

---

noun

1. one superior to another.

2. Also called superscript.  Printing. a superior letter, number, or symbol.

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

Superior ² American  

[suh-peer-ee-er, soo-] / səˈpɪər i ər, sʊ- /

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 British  

/ 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. 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 British  

/ sjuː-, suːˈpɪərɪə /

noun

1. 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

Other Word Forms

• quasi-superior adjective
• superioress noun
• superiority noun
• superiorly adverb
• unsuperior adjective
• unsuperiorly adverb

Etymology

Origin of superior¹

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 -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)

Explanation

The salesman boasted to his customer that the $1 million car was well worth the price because it was far superior, meaning of higher quality, to any car that had come before it. This car, the salesman bragged, could fly. Superior comes from the Latin word meaning above and it literally means something that is above others in quality or status. Sometimes being superior can be perceived as a negative, as in the woman who acts superior to all of her friends, having a high opinion of herself just because she has millions of dollars in the bank after winning the lottery.

Example Sentences

Amex plans to “reinvest its superior performance” into areas like cardmember acquisitions and thus is keeping its full-year outlook intact, Le Caillec said.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 23, 2026

Hally is quick to take a superior tone with Sam and Willie, but the truth is that Sam has been a surrogate father to him.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026

The tech start-up announced Claude Opus 4.7 on Thursday, claiming it is superior to its predecessor in advanced software engineering, that it can see images in greater resolution, and produce higher quality content.

From Barron's • Apr. 17, 2026

It forbade companies from paying dividends or buying back stock “until such time as they are able to produce a superior product, on time and on budget.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

“I do not ask whether you are musical, Mrs. Elton. Upon these occasions, a lady’s character generally precedes her; and Highbury has long known that you are a superior performer.”

From "Emma" by Jane Austen

Related Words

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