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Synonyms

superstructure

American  
[soo-per-struhk-cher] / ˈsu pərˌstrʌk tʃər /

noun

  1. the part of a building or construction entirely above its foundation or basement.

  2. any structure built on something else.

  3. the overlying framework or features of an organization, institution, or system, built or superimposed on a more fundamental base.

  4. Nautical. any construction built above the main deck of a vessel as an upward continuation of the sides.

  5. the part of a bridge that rests on the piers and abutments.

  6. anything based on or rising from some foundation or basis.

    a complex ideological superstructure based on two hypotheses.
superstructure British  
/ ˈsuːpəˌstrʌktʃə /

noun

  1. the part of a building above its foundation

  2. any structure or concept erected on something else

  3. nautical any structure above the main deck of a ship with sides flush with the sides of the hull

  4. the part of a bridge supported by the piers and abutments

  5. (in Marxist theory) an edifice of interdependent agencies of the state, including legal and political institutions and ideologies, each possessing some autonomy but remaining products of the dominant mode of economic production

"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

Other Word Forms

  • superstructural adjective

Etymology

Origin of superstructure

First recorded in 1635–45; super- + structure

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Photos shared by the Royal Thai Navy showed heavy black smoke billowing from the hull and superstructure of the Thai-registered Mayuree Naree, with life rafts floating in the water.

From Barron's • Mar. 11, 2026

As of end-2025, contracts for superstructure work for Changi Airport Terminal 5 and Marina Bay Sands Integrated Resort 2 haven’t been tendered or awarded.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 19, 2026

They are now using sonar scans and believe that vehicles that may contain other bodies are "encased in superstructure and concrete" that came down from the bridge, an official said.

From BBC • Mar. 27, 2024

“Based on sonar scans, we firmly believe that the vehicles are encased in the superstructure and concrete that we tragically saw come down,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2024

Thirty passengers had to be rescued from the Virginia V, one of the last of the city’s historic Mosquito Fleet, when she smashed into a wharf and her superstructure was crushed.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown

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.