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 byto ).
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.
Printing. written or printed high on a line of text, as the “2” in a 2 b; superscript.
one superior to another.
Also called superscript. Printing. a superior letter, number, or symbol.
Ecclesiastical. the head of a monastery, convent, or the like.
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.
a port in northwestern Wisconsin, on Lake Superior.
greater in quality, quantity, etc
of high or extraordinary worth, merit, etc
higher in rank or status
a superior tribunal
displaying a conscious sense of being above or better than others; supercilious
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
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
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
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
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)
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.
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Last week a Maine Superior Court judge upheld the decision to keep the initiative off November’s ballot.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 15, 2026
Lawyers in the case are expected to go in front of Superior Court Judge Lawrence Riff Monday for a hearing on the request.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 11, 2026
Superior algorithms are held privately, run with institutional capital and protected like trade secrets.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 1, 2026
In a breach-of-lease complaint filed in Superior Court, Hackman said Erewhon is liable for more than $275,000 in unpaid rent and legal fees.
From Los Angeles Times • May 30, 2026
Midway through Terryl's senior year, she says her mom had finally had enough of Danny and went to Norwalk Superior Court to officially get a divorce.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
