Superior

/suːˈpɪə.ɹi.ə/ adj, name, noun

adj, name, noun ·Very common ·Middle school level

Meaning at a glance

  • Primary sense: A person of higher rank or quality, especially a colleague in a higher position.; The senior person in a monastic community.
  • Grammar: superior is listed as adj, name, noun.
  • Nearest alternatives: higher-up, a cut above, a per se, abbess.
  • Useful contrasts: bad, inferior, basal.
  • Usage evidence: You must inform your superior of the results.

How to use "superior"

  1. Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
  2. Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "superior" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
  3. Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.

Meaning check

  • Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
  • Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
  • Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
  • Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?

Source and review context

This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "superior" in a final draft.

If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.

Before you rely on this definition

Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "superior" as the right word for your sentence.

If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "superior" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.

Compare nearby meanings

  • Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
  • Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
  • Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
  • Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.

Definition decision workflow

1. Identify the role

Check whether "superior" is acting as adj, name, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.

2. Test the nearest option

Compare it with "higher-up" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.

3. Confirm with context

Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.

Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.

Final meaning check

Before publishing a sentence with "superior", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.

When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A person of higher rank or quality, especially a colleague in a higher position.; The senior person in a monastic community.
  2. 2
    a character or symbol set or printed or written above and immediately to one side of another character wordnet
  3. 3
    A person of higher rank or quality, especially a colleague in a higher position.; The head of certain religious institutions and colleges.
  4. 4
    the head of a religious community wordnet
  5. 5
    A superior letter, figure, or symbol.
Show 3 more definitions
  1. 6
    one of greater rank or station or quality wordnet
  2. 7
    One who has made an original grant of heritable property to a tenant or vassal, on condition of a certain annual payment (feu duty) or of the performance of certain services. historical
  3. 8
    a combatant who is able to defeat rivals wordnet
Adjective
  1. 1
    Higher in rank, status, or quality. not-comparable

    "Rebecca had always thought shorts were far superior to pants, as they didn't constantly make her legs itch."

  2. 2
    Higher in rank, status, or quality.; Of high standard or quality. not-comparable

    "She always treated (her husband) as a boy, which he was, and as a fool, which he was not, thinking herself so immeasurably superior to him that she neglected opportunity after opportunity of establishing her rule."

  3. 3
    Higher in rank, status, or quality.; Greater in size or power. not-comparable
  4. 4
    Higher in rank, status, or quality.; Beyond the power or influence of; too great or firm to be subdued or affected by. not-comparable

    "There is not in earth a spectacle more worthy […]than a brave man superior to his sufferings."

  5. 5
    Higher in rank, status, or quality.; Greater or better than average. not-comparable
Show 11 more definitions
  1. 6
    Courageously or serenely indifferent (as to something painful or disheartening). not-comparable
  2. 7
    Printed in superscript. not-comparable

    "a superior figure or letter"

  3. 8
    Located above or out; higher in position. not-comparable

    "the superior jaw; the superior part of an image"

  4. 9
    Located above or out; higher in position.; Located above or higher, a direction that in humans corresponds to cephalad. not-comparable
  5. 10
    Located above or out; higher in position.; (of a calyx) Above the ovary; said of parts of the flower which, although normally below the ovary, adhere to it, and so appear to originate from its upper part. not-comparable
  6. 11
    Located above or out; higher in position.; (of an ovary) Above and free from the other floral organs. not-comparable
  7. 12
    Located above or out; higher in position.; Belonging to the part of an axillary flower which is toward the main stem. not-comparable
  8. 13
    Located above or out; higher in position.; (of the radicle) Pointing toward the apex of the fruit. not-comparable
  9. 14
    More comprehensive. not-comparable

    "A genus is superior to a species."

  10. 15
    Affecting or assuming an air of superiority. not-comparable
  11. 16
    Having a wider orbit around the Sun; typically with respect to the Earth. not-comparable
Adjective
  1. 1
    (often followed by ‘to’) above being affected or influenced by wordnet
  2. 2
    (sometimes followed by ‘to’) not subject to or influenced by wordnet
  3. 3
    having a higher rank wordnet
  4. 4
    of or characteristic of high rank or importance wordnet
  5. 5
    of high or superior quality or performance wordnet
Show 2 more definitions
  1. 6
    having an orbit farther from the sun than the Earth's orbit wordnet
  2. 7
    written or printed above and to one side of another character wordnet
Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A number of places in the United States:; A town in Pinal County, Arizona.
  2. 2
    A number of places in the United States:; A statutory town in Boulder County, Colorado.
  3. 3
    A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Raccoon Township, Parke County, Indiana.
  4. 4
    A number of places in the United States:; A minor city in Dickinson County, Iowa.
  5. 5
    A number of places in the United States:; A township in Chippewa County, Michigan.
Show 9 more definitions
  1. 6
    A number of places in the United States:; A township and unincorporated community therein, in Washtenaw County, Michigan.
  2. 7
    A number of places in the United States:; A town, the county seat of Mineral County, Montana.
  3. 8
    A number of places in the United States:; A small city in Nuckolls County, Nebraska.
  4. 9
    A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in McDowell County, West Virginia.
  5. 10
    A number of places in the United States:; A city, village, and civil town in Wisconsin. The city is the county seat of Douglas County.
  6. 11
    A number of places in the United States:; A town in Sweetwater County, Wyoming.
  7. 12
    Ellipsis of Lake Superior. abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
  8. 13
    Ellipsis of Superior Craton. abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
  9. 14
    Synonym of Superia.

Synonyms

All synonyms
higher-upa cut abovea per seabbessabbotabove

Example

"You must inform your superior of the results."

Common questions

What does "superior" mean?

A person of higher rank or quality, especially a colleague in a higher position.; The senior person in a monastic community.

What is a synonym for "superior"?

Common synonyms include: higher-up, a cut above, a per se, abbess, abbot, above.

How do you use "superior" in a sentence?

You must inform your superior of the results.

How do you pronounce "superior"?

Pronounced /suːˈpɪə.ɹi.ə/.

Etymology

From Middle English, borrowed from Old French superiour, from Latin superior (“higher, upper”).

More for "superior"

Synonyms

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