superior
Noun pluralsuperiors
Pluralsuperiors
- 1Higher in rank, status, or quality than someone or something else.
In most companies, a director is superior to a manager.
The handmade version is clearly superior to the factory model.
UsageFollowed by to (not
incorrect: superior than). Strengthen it with an adverb such as far or clearly: far superior to the old one.Oppositeinferior, junior, subordinate, lower
Note
Latin superior already meant "higher, upper" and was a comparative before English borrowed it through Old French.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 1 fact
- Latin superior meant higher or upper and was a comparative; English borrowed it through Old French. dictionary.obspm.fr
- 2A person of higher rank or quality than someone else, especially a colleague who holds a more senior position.
He reported the safety problem to his superiors, who ignored it for months.
As a chess player he had no superior in the city, though he never turned professional.
UsageUsually used with a possessive: my superior, his superiors. Have no superior means nobody is better.
Similarboss, senior, supervisor, manager
Oppositesubordinate, inferior
Note
Here the adjective of rank and quality becomes a person, and it keeps the comparison built into Latin superior, "higher". In a monastic community, by contrast, the title for its head names an office, not a relative position.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
- Latin superior was a comparative meaning higher. dictionary.obspm.fr
- Superior can designate the office of the head of a monastic community. vatican.va
- 3
- 4Showing or assuming an attitude of being better than other people.
She listened with a superior expression, as if the discussion were beneath her.
His superior tone at meetings annoyed the whole team.
UsageUsually describes a look, tone or smile: a superior smile, act superior. It is a criticism, not praise.
Similarsupercilious
Note
The pretended version of the "higher in rank" sense: the rank is claimed through manner rather than held. Supercilious is its close partner. Calling someone superior in this way says they act above others, not that they are.
- 5The person who heads certain religious institutions and colleges.
As superior of the seminary, Father Ruiz oversaw both studies and daily life.
The order's superior approved plans for a new mission school.
Similarhead
- 6Situated higher up or above something else; in anatomy, nearer the head or the upper part of the body.
On the X-ray, the doctor pointed to a small crack along the superior edge of the shoulder blade.
The nose is superior to the mouth, while the chin is inferior to it.
Note
The literal spatial sense, nearest to the Latin "higher, upper": the superior jaw, the superior part of an image. It describes fixed positions, not worth, and nothing in it is a judgment. The anatomical and botanical uses grow from it and sharpen "above" into precise directions.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
- Latin superior has the spatial meaning ‘higher, upper’. dspace.zsmu.edu.ua
- The anatomical specialization retains the spatial meaning, specifying a direction toward the head. en.wikipedia.org
- The botanical specialization retains the spatial meaning, specifying position relative to other floral parts. en.wikipedia.org
- 7Greater or better than what is average or typical.
His superior memory lets him recall names from decades ago.
This wool is of superior quality, so the sweater should last for many years.
Similarextraordinary
Less common meanings
- 8Not overcome, swayed, or troubled by something such as pain, fear, or temptation; rising above its influence.
He remained superior to the panic spreading through the office.
A good leader stays calm and superior to the fear spreading around her.
UsageUsed in superior to with a force or feeling, not a rival: superior to fear, superior to bribes.
Similarimmune, impervious
Oppositesusceptible, vulnerable
Note
The Spectator in 1711 found no finer spectacle than "a brave man superior to his sufferings." The test is whether anything is being compared. Here nothing is, because the person simply cannot be moved. Often a quiet calm comes with that firmness, as if the trouble barely registers.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
- The quoted passage was published in 1711. collections.soane.org
- The passage contains the quoted words. gutenberg.org
- 9Of a planet, having an orbit around the Sun larger than that of Earth.
Astronomers classify Mars as a superior planet, lying outside Earth's orbit.
The superior planets show retrograde motion when Earth overtakes them.
Oppositeinferior
Note
Astronomy compares orbits, not worth. A superior planet circles the Sun farther out than the planet it is measured against. Earth is the usual point of comparison, which is why Mars counts as superior. The measure can, however, be taken from another planet's orbit instead.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
- A superior planet orbits farther from the Sun than the planet used for comparison. en.wikipedia.org
- Earth is the usual reference planet, and Mars is a superior planet because its orbit lies farther from the Sun. science.nasa.gov
- The comparison can use another planet instead of Earth. en.wikipedia.org
- 10More comprehensive; of a category, including more than a lower one does.
Each superior taxon contains all the groups ranked beneath it.
Class is a superior category to order within the hierarchy.
Similarhigher
Oppositelower, subordinate
Note
Taxonomy's superior is about containing, not excelling. A genus is superior to a species because it takes the species in. The construction is the familiar superior to, but nothing is judged better or worse. Each rank is superior to those nested beneath it and stands below the ranks that contain it in turn.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
- A genus contains species and ranks above them. nhm.ac.uk
- Taxonomic groups form a hierarchy in which higher taxa encompass the lower taxa nested within them. en.wikipedia.org
- 11Of an ovary, situated above the other floral organs and not joined to them.
In hypogynous flowers the ovary is superior, set above the petals and stamens.
The lily's superior ovary sits clear above the other floral parts.
Oppositeinferior
Note
Here it is the ovary that stands above, clear of the sepals, petals and stamens rather than joined to them. That makes it the opposite arrangement to the superior calyx. A superior calyx is fused to the ovary, so an ovary that is superior and free cannot carry one. The two uses never describe the same flower.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
- A superior ovary lies above the attachment point of the other floral organs. lod.nal.usda.gov
- A superior ovary is free rather than adherent to the surrounding floral structures. malvaceae.info
- A superior calyx is adherent to an inferior ovary, making it incompatible with a free, superior ovary. malvaceae.info
- 12A letter, figure, or symbol set in superscript above the line of type.
- 13Set in superscript, raised above and smaller than the surrounding line of type.
- 14Of a calyx, positioned above the ovary; describing flower parts that normally sit below the ovary but adhere to it and seem to arise from its upper part.
- 15In an axillary flower, situated on the side nearer the main stem.
- 16Of the radicle, directed toward the fruit's apex.
- 17A person who granted heritable property to a tenant or vassal in exchange for an annual payment (feu duty) or certain services.
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Practice
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Origin
Latin superior meant "higher" or "upper." Old French made it superiour, and Middle English borrowed it from there.