Adjacent Words

Superior definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

SUPE'RIOR, a. [Sp.L. from super, above.]
1. Higher; upper; more elevated in place; as the superior limb of the sun; the superior part of an image.
2. Higher in rank or office; more exalted in dignity; as a superior officer; a superior degree of nobility.
3. Higher or greater in excellence; surpassing others in the greatness, goodness or value of any quality; as a man of superior merit, of superior bravery, of superior talents or understanding, of superior accomplishments.
4. Being beyond the power or influence of; too great or firm to be subdued or affected by; as a man superior to revenge.
There is not on earth a spectacle more worthy than a great man superior to his sufferings.
5. In botany, a superior flower has the receptacle of the flower above the germ; a superior germ is included within the corol.
SUPE'RIOR, n. One who is more advanced in age. Old persons or elders are the superiors of the young.
1. One who is more elevated in rank or office.
2. One who surpasses others in dignity, excellence or qualities of any kind. As a writer of pure English, Addison has no superior.
3. The chief of a monastery, convent or abbey.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: of high or superior quality or performance; "superior wisdom derived from experience"; "superior math students" [ant: inferior]
2: of or characteristic of high rank or importance; "a superior ruler" [ant: inferior]
3: (sometimes followed by `to') not subject to or influenced by; "overcome by a superior opponent"; "trust magnates who felt themselves superior to law"
4: written or printed above and to one side of another character [syn: superscript, superior] [ant: adscript, inferior, subscript]
5: having an orbit farther from the sun than the Earth's orbit; "Mars and Jupiter are the closest in of the superior planets" [ant: inferior]
6: having a higher rank; "superior officer" [syn: ranking, superior, higher-ranking]
7: (often followed by `to') above being affected or influenced by; "he is superior to fear"; "an ignited firework proceeds superior to circumstances until its blazing vitality fades" n
1: one of greater rank or station or quality [syn: superior, higher-up, superordinate] [ant: inferior]
2: the head of a religious community
3: a combatant who is able to defeat rivals [syn: victor, master, superior]
4: the largest freshwater lake in the world; the deepest of the Great Lakes [syn: Lake Superior, Superior]
5: a town in northwest Wisconsin on Lake Superior across from Duluth
6: a character or symbol set or printed or written above and immediately to one side of another character [syn: superscript, superior] [ant: inferior, subscript]

Merriam Webster's

geographical name city & port NW Wisconsin on Lake Superior population 27,368

Merriam Webster's

I. adjective Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin, comparative of superus upper, from super over, above — more at over Date: 14th century 1. situated higher up ; upper 2. of higher rank, quality, or importance 3. courageously or serenely indifferent (as to something painful or disheartening) 4. a. greater in quantity or numbers <escaped by superior speed> b. excellent of its kind ; better <her superior memory> 5. being a superscript 6. a. of an animal structure situated above or anterior or dorsal to another and especially a corresponding part <a superior artery> b. of a plant structure situated above or near the top of another part: as (1) of a calyx attached to and apparently arising from the ovary (2) of an ovary free from the calyx or other floral envelope 7. more comprehensive <a genus is superior to a species> 8. affecting or assuming an air of superiority ; supercilious • superiorly adverb II. noun Date: 15th century 1. one who is above another in rank, station, or office; especially the head of a religious house or order 2. one that surpasses another in quality or merit 3. superscript

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. & n. --adj. 1 in a higher position; of higher rank (a superior officer; a superior court). 2 a above the average in quality etc. (made of superior leather). b having or showing a high opinion of oneself; supercilious (had a superior air). 3 (often foll. by to) a better or greater in some respect (superior to its rivals in speed). b above yielding, making concessions, paying attention, etc. (is superior to bribery; superior to temptation). 4 further above or out; higher, esp.: a Astron. (of a planet) having an orbit further from the sun than the earth's. b Zool. (of an insect's wings) folding over others. c Printing (of figures or letters) placed above the line. d Bot. (of the calyx) above the ovary. e Bot. (of the ovary) above the calyx. --n. 1 a person superior to another in rank, character, etc. (is deferential to his superiors; is his superior in courage). 2 (fem. superioress) Eccl. the head of a monastery or other religious institution (Mother Superior; Father Superior). 3 Printing a superior letter or figure. Phrases and idioms: superior numbers esp. Mil. more men etc. or their strength (overcome by superior numbers). superior persons esp. iron. the better educated or élite; prigs. Derivatives: superiorly adv. Etymology: ME f. OF superiour f. L superior -oris, compar. of superus that is above f. super above

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Superior Su*pe"ri*or, a. [L., compar. of superus being above, fr. super above, over: cf. F. sup['e]rieur. See Super-, and cf. Supreme.] 1. More elevated in place or position; higher; upper; as, the superior limb of the sun; the superior part of an image. 2. Higher in rank or office; more exalted in dignity; as, a superior officer; a superior degree of nobility. 3. Higher or greater in excellence; surpassing others in the greatness, or value of any quality; greater in quality or degree; as, a man of superior merit; or of superior bravery. 4. Beyond the power or influence of; too great or firm to be subdued or affected by; -- with to. There is not in earth a spectacle more worthy than a great man superior to his sufferings. --Spectator. 5. More comprehensive; as a term in classification; as, a genus is superior to a species. 6. (Bot.) (a) 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; also of an ovary when the other floral organs are plainly below it in position, and free from it. (b) Belonging to the part of an axillary flower which is toward the main stem; posterior. (c) Pointing toward the apex of the fruit; ascending; -- said of the radicle. Superior conjunction, Superior planets, etc. See Conjunction, Planet, etc. Superior figure, Superior letter (Print.), a figure or letter printed above the line, as a reference to a note or an index of a power, etc; as, in x^2 + y^n, 2 is a superior figure, n a superior letter. Cf. Inferior figure, under Inferior.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Superior Su*pe"ri*or, n. 1. One who is above, or surpasses, another in rank, station, office, age, ability, or merit; one who surpasses in what is desirable; as, Addison has no superior as a writer of pure English. 2. (Eccl.) The head of a monastery, convent, abbey, or the like.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(superiors) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. If one thing or person is superior to another, the first is better than the second. We have a relationship infinitely superior to those of many of our friends... Long-term stock market investments have produced superior returns compared with cash deposits. ? inferior ADJ: oft ADJ to n • superiority The technical superiority of laser discs over tape is well established. N-UNCOUNT: oft N over/to n 2. If you describe something as superior, you mean that it is good, and better than other things of the same kind. A few years ago it was virtually impossible to find superior quality coffee in local shops... Lulu was said to be of very superior intelligence. ADJ 3. A superior person or thing is more important than another person or thing in the same organization or system. ...negotiations between the mutineers and their superior officers... ADJ: oft ADJ to n 4. Your superior in an organization that you work for is a person who has a higher rank than you. Other army units are completely surrounded and cut-off from communication with their superiors... ? subordinate N-COUNT: poss N 5. If you describe someone as superior, you disapprove of them because they behave as if they are better, more important, or more intelligent than other people. Finch gave a superior smile... ADJ [disapproval] • superiority ...a false sense of his superiority over mere journalists. N-UNCOUNT: oft N over n 6. If one group of people has superior numbers to another group, the first has more people than the second, and therefore has an advantage over it. (FORMAL) The demonstrators fled when they saw the authorities' superior numbers... ADJ

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

a. 1. High, higher, upper, paramount, more elevated. 2. Of higher rank, more exalted, more dignified. 3. Surpassing, noble, more eminent, more excellent, preferable, greater. 4. Predominant, prevalent.

Moby Thesaurus

A per se, a cut above, above, above par, absolute, ace, ahead, appalling, arrogant, ascendant, astonishing, authoritarian, authoritative, authorized, autocratic, better, big, big-league, big-name, big-time, bigwig, bigwigged, boss, brass hat, capital, capping, cavalier, champion, chief, choice, chosen, classier, clothed with authority, commander, commanding, competent, condescending, consequential, considerable, conspicuous, controlling, crack, dainty, dandy, dean, delicate, disdainful, distinguished, dominant, domineering, double-barreled, doyen, doyenne, duly constituted, earthshaking, eclipsing, egregious, elder, elegant, elevated, elitist, eminent, empowered, estimable, ex officio, exceeding, excellent, excelling, exceptional, exquisite, extraordinary, fabulous, famous, fantastic, fine, finer, first-class, first-rate, first-string, formidable, fugleman, genius, governing, grand, great, greater, haughty, head, heavyweight, hegemonic, hegemonistic, high priest, high-and-mighty, high-class, high-faluting, high-flown, high-grade, high-headed, high-nosed, high-powered, high-quality, high-test, higher, higher-up, highest, hoity-toity, imperative, important, important person, in ascendancy, in the ascendant, incredible, influential, insolent, kingfish, kingpin, laureate, leader, leading, loftier, lofty, major, marked, marvelous, master, matchless, material, mighty, miraculous, momentous, monocratic, name, nonpareil, notable, noteworthy, noticeable, numinous, of choice, of mark, official, one up on, outstanding, over, overbearing, overlying, paragon, patronizing, peerless, personage, potent, powerful, preeminent, preferable, preferred, premium, prestigious, preternatural, primary, prime, principal, prodigy, prominent, proud, puissant, purse-proud, ranking, rare, recherche, remarkable, rivaling, ruler, ruling, select, self-important, senior, signal, significant, star, sterling, striking, stuck-up, substantial, super, supercilious, superhuman, superincumbent, superlative, superman, supermundane, superstar, supervisor, supramundane, supranatural, supreme, surpassing, the greatest, the most, tonier, top dog, toplofty, topping, totalitarian, transcendent, transcendental, transcending, uncommon, unearthly, unusual, upmost, upper, uppermost, uppish, uppity, upstage, virtuoso, weighty, wonderful, world-shaking, worthy