superstructure
[ soo-per-struhk-cher ]
/ ˈsu pərˌstrʌk tʃər /
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noun
the part of a building or construction entirely above its foundation or basement.
any structure built on something else.
the overlying framework or features of an organization, institution, or system, built or superimposed on a more fundamental base.
Nautical. any construction built above the main deck of a vessel as an upward continuation of the sides.Compare deckhouse.
the part of a bridge that rests on the piers and abutments.
anything based on or rising from some foundation or basis: a complex ideological superstructure based on two hypotheses.
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OTHER WORDS FROM superstructure
su·per·struc·tur·al, adjectiveWords nearby superstructure
superstorm, superstratum, superstring, superstring theory, superstruct, superstructure, supersubtle, supersymmetry, supertall, supertanker, supertask
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for superstructure
British Dictionary definitions for superstructure
superstructure
/ (ˈsuːpəˌstrʌktʃə) /
noun
the part of a building above its foundation
any structure or concept erected on something else
nautical any structure above the main deck of a ship with sides flush with the sides of the hull
the part of a bridge supported by the piers and abutments
(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
Derived forms of superstructure
superstructural, adjectiveCollins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Medical definitions for superstructure
superstructure
[ sōō′pər-strŭk′chər ]
n.
A structure above the surface.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.