superior

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

/ səˈpɪər i ər, sʊ- /

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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

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

Examples from the Web for superiorly

Then the phone clicked most savagely and ominously and superiorly at the other end.
Twelve Men|Theodore Dreiser
He tried to say it superiorly, paternally, as an older man might have said it—and was not altogether successful.
The Quickening|Francis Lynde
In certain species these processes are attached only by their bases, and are separated from each other superiorly.
Artistic Anatomy of Animals|douard Cuyer
When the whaleboat was alongside, he descended into it first, superiorly, then invited Nau-hau to accompany him.
Jerry of the Islands|Jack London

You may say, superiorly: "He has expressed himself clumsily, but I can see what he means."
Literary Taste: How to Form It|Arnold Bennett

British Dictionary definitions for superiorly

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

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 superiorly

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 superiorly

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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Origin of superior

Examples from the Web for superiorly

superior

adjective

noun

Word Origin for superior

usage

Superior

noun

superior

superior

adj.