superior

superior

synonyms, antonyms, definitions, examples & translations of superior in English

English Online Dictionary. What means superior‎? What does superior mean?

English

Alternative forms

  • superiour (UK, obsolete)

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /suːˈpɪə.ɹi.ə/
  • (General American) IPA(key): /sʊˈpɪɹ.i.ɚ/, /sə-/
  • (New Zealand) IPA(key): /sʉːˈpɪə.ɹiː.ə/, /sə-/
  • Rhymes: -ɪəɹiə(ɹ)
  • Hyphenation: su‧per‧i‧or

Adjective

superior (not comparable)

  1. Higher in rank, status, or quality.
    1. Of high standard or quality.
    2. Greater in size or power.
    3. (superior to) Beyond the power or influence of; too great or firm to be subdued or affected by.
    4. Greater or better than average.
      Synonym: extraordinary
  2. Courageously or serenely indifferent (as to something painful or disheartening).
  3. (typography) Printed in superscript.
  4. Located above or out; higher in position.
    2. (anatomy, medicine) Located above or higher, a direction that in humans corresponds to cephalad.
    3. (botany) (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.
    4. (botany) (of an ovary) Above and free from the other floral organs.
    5. (botany) Belonging to the part of an axillary flower which is toward the main stem.
      Synonym: posterior
    6. (botany) (of the radicle) Pointing toward the apex of the fruit.
      Synonym: ascending
  5. (taxonomy) More comprehensive.
  6. Affecting or assuming an air of superiority.
    Synonym: supercilious
  7. (astronomy, of a planet in the Solar System) Having a wider orbit around the Sun; typically with respect to the Earth.

Usage notes

  • Superior and inferior are generally followed by to; than is sometimes used mistakenly.
  • Other English words coming from Latin comparative forms are interior, exterior, ulterior, major, minor, as well as inferior, junior, senior, anterior, posterior and prior, the last six of which (along with superior) have retained their comparative meaning in English.[1] For other English terms ultimately from Latin comparatives formed with -us, see e.g. plus and minus.

Antonyms

  • inferior

Coordinate terms

  • noninferior

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Noun

superior (plural superiors)

  1. A person of higher rank or quality, especially a colleague in a higher position.
    Synonym: overling
    1. The senior person in a monastic community.
    2. The head of certain religious institutions and colleges.
      Hyponyms: father superior, mother superior
  2. (printing) A superior letter, figure, or symbol.
    Synonym: superscript
  3. (Scots law, historical) 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.

Translations

References

  • “superior”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
  • “superior”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
  • William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “superior”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.
  • “superior”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin superiōrem. First attested in 1653.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): (Central) [su.pə.ɾiˈor]
  • IPA(key): (Balearic) [su.pə.ɾiˈo]
  • IPA(key): (Valencia) [su.pe.ɾiˈoɾ]

Adjective

superior m or f (masculine and feminine plural superiors)

  1. superior, higher, high
    Antonym: inferior

Related terms

  • superioritat

Noun

superior m or f by sense (plural superiors)

  1. superior

References

Further reading

  • “superior”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], 2007 April
  • “superior” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
  • “superior” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Indonesian

Etymology

Internationalism, from Latin superior.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /su.pəˈri.or/, [su.pəˈri.ɔr]

Noun

superior (plural superior-superior)

  1. superior: a person of higher rank or quality, especially a colleague in a higher position.
    1. the senior person in a monastic community.
    2. the head of certain religious institutions and colleges.

Adjective

superior (comparative lebih superior, superlative paling superior)

  1. superior
    1. (anatomy) located above or higher, a direction that in humans corresponds to cephalad.

Related terms

Further reading

  • “superior” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

Latin

Etymology

Comparative of superus (“that is above, upper, higher”), from super (“above, over”, preposition) +‎ -us (adjectival suffix).

Pronunciation

  • (Classical Latin) IPA(key): [sʊˈpɛ.ri.ɔr]
  • (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): [suˈpɛː.ri.or]

Adjective

superior (comparative, neuter superius); third declension

  1. comparative degree of superus
    Antonyms: inferior, subterior
    1. (of a place) higher, upper
    2. (of a time or order) former, past, previous, preceding
      1. (especially of age, seniority etc.) older, elder, senior, more advanced, former
    3. (of a contest) victorious, conquering, stronger, superior
    4. (of a quality, condition or number) higher, more distinguished, greater, superior

Inflection

Third-declension comparative adjective.

Descendants

References

  • “superior”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  • “superior”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
  • superior in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
  • Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎[2], London: Macmillan and Co.

Occitan

Etymology

From Latin superior.

Pronunciation

Adjective

superior m (feminine singular superiora, masculine plural superiors, feminine plural superioras)

  1. superior

Related terms

  • superioritat

Portuguese

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin superiōrem.

Pronunciation

  • Hyphenation: su‧pe‧ri‧or

Adjective

superior m or f (plural superiores)

  1. upper, higher
  2. better
  3. superior

Antonyms

  • inferior

Derived terms

  • superiormente

Related terms

  • superioridade

Noun

superior m (plural superiores, feminine superiora, feminine plural superioras)

  1. boss
  2. head of a monastery

Further reading

  • “superior”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2025

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French supérieur, Latin superior.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˌsu.pe.riˈor/

Adjective

superior m or n (feminine singular superioară, masculine plural superiori, feminine and neuter plural superioare)

  1. superior
    Antonym: inferior

Declension

Related terms

  • superioritate

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin superior.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /supeˈɾjoɾ/ [su.peˈɾjoɾ]
  • Rhymes: -oɾ
  • Syllabification: su‧pe‧rior

Adjective

superior m or f (masculine and feminine plural superiores)

  1. upper, higher
  2. better
  3. superior

Derived terms

Noun

superior m (plural superiores, feminine superiora, feminine plural superioras)

  1. boss
    Synonyms: jefe, jefa, patrón, patrona

Related terms

Further reading

  • “superior”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10

Bookmark
share
WebDictionary.net is an Free English Dictionary containing information about the meaning, synonyms, antonyms, definitions, translations, etymology and more.

Related Words

-

Browse the English Dictionary

A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I - J - K - L - M - N - O - P - Q - R - S - T - U - V - W - X - Y - Z

License

This article based on an article on Wiktionary. The list of authors can be seen in the page history there. The original work has been modified. This article is distributed under the terms of this license.