superior

See also: Superior

English

Alternative forms

• superiour (obsolete)

Etymology

Borrowed from Old French superior, from Latin superior (“higher, being more above”), from superus (“being above”), from super (“above, over”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /suːˈpɪəɹi.ə(ɹ)/
• (US) IPA^(key): /suːˈpɪɹiɚ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪəriə(r)

Adjective

superior (not comparable)

1. Higher in quality.

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

2. Higher in rank.
   • 1918, W. B. Maxwell, chapter 12, in The Mirror and the Lamp:

     There were many wooden chairs for the bulk of his visitors, and two wicker armchairs with red cloth cushions for superior people. From the packing-cases had emerged some Indian clubs, […], and all these articles […] made a scattered and untidy decoration that Mrs. Clough assiduously dusted and greatly cherished.

3. More comprehensive, as a term in classification.

   A genus is superior to a species.

4. Located above.

   the superior jaw; the superior part of an image

   1. (botany) 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.
   2. (botany) Belonging to the part of an axillary flower which is toward the main stem; posterior.
   3. (botany) Pointing toward the apex of the fruit; ascending; said of the radicle.
   4. (typography) Printed in superscript.

      a superior figure or letter

5. Greater or better than average; extraordinary.
6. Beyond the power or influence of; too great or firm to be subdued or affected by; with to.
   • Spectator

     There is not in earth a spectacle more worthy than a great man superior to his sufferings.

7. Of a planet: closer to the Earth than to the sun.

Usage notes

• Superior and inferior are generally followed by to; than is sometimes used mistakenly.

Antonyms

• inferior

Coordinate terms

• (dentistry location adjectives) anterior,‎ apical,‎ apicocoronal,‎ axial,‎ buccal,‎ buccoapical,‎ buccocervical,‎ buccogingival,‎ buccolabial,‎ buccolingual,‎ bucco-occlusal,‎ buccopalatal,‎ cervical,‎ coronal,‎ coronoapical,‎ distal,‎ distoapical,‎ distobuccal,‎ distocervical,‎ distocoronal,‎ distofacial,‎ distogingival,‎ distoincisal,‎ distolingual,‎ disto-occlusal,‎ distoclusal,‎ distocclusal,‎ distopalatal,‎ facial,‎ gingival,‎ incisal,‎ incisocervical,‎ inferior,‎ labial,‎ lingual,‎ linguobuccal,‎ linguo-occlusal,‎ mandibular,‎ maxillary,‎ mesial,‎ mesioapical,‎ mesiobuccal,‎ mesiocervical,‎ mesiocoronal,‎ mesiodistal,‎ mesiofacial,‎ mesioincisal,‎ mesiogingival,‎ mesiolingual,‎ mesio-occlusal,‎ mesioclusal,‎ mesiocclusal,‎ mesiopalatal,‎ occlusal,‎ palatal,‎ posterior,‎ proximal,‎ superior,‎ vestibular ^{(Category: en:Dentistry) [edit]}

Derived terms

• superiorness

Related terms

• superiority

Translations

higher in rank or quality

• Arabic: أَجْدَر‎ (ʾajdar)
• Catalan: superior (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 優越 (zh), 优越 (zh) (yōuyuè)

• Czech: vyšší (cs)
• Dutch: superieur (nl)
• Esperanto: supera (eo)
• Finnish: (rank) ylempi (fi), (quality) parempi (fi)
• French: supérieur (fr)
• Galician: superior (gl)
• Georgian: უმაღლესი (umaɣlesi)
• German: höher (de), höherstehend, übergeordnet (de)
• Gothic: 𐌰𐌿𐌷𐌿𐌼𐌰 (auhuma)
• Greek: ανώτερος (el) m (anóteros)
• Hungarian: kiváló (hu)
• Irish: ardchéimiúil

• Italian: superiore (it), sovraordinato
• Japanese: 偉い (ja) (erai), 貴い (ja) (tōtoi), 上級の (ja) (jōkyū no), 高貴な (ja) (kōki na)
• Korean: 우수한 (usuhan)
• Lithuanian: aukštesnio laipsnio, vyresnysis
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: overlegen (no)

  Nynorsk: overlegen

• Portuguese: superior (pt)
• Romanian: superior (ro) m, mai bun
• Russian: вышестоя́щий (ru) (vyšestojáščij), вы́сший (ru) (výsšij), ста́рший (ru) (stáršij)
• Sanskrit: उत्तर (sa) (uttara), श्रेयस् (sa) (śreyas)
• Spanish: superior (es)
• Swedish: överlägsen (sv)
• Ukrainian: ви́щий (výščyj), ста́рший (stáršyj)

located above

• Arabic: يعلو‎
• Armenian: վերին (hy) (verin)
• Catalan: superior (ca)
• Finnish: yläpuolinen (fi)
• French: supérieur (fr)
• Italian: superiore (it)

• Lithuanian: viršutinis
• Portuguese: superior (pt)
• Romanian: superior (ro) m, mai sus
• Russian: вы́сший (ru) (výsšij), ве́рхний (ru) (vérxnij)
• Sanskrit: उत्तर (sa) (uttara)
• Spanish: superior (es)
• Ukrainian: ви́щий (výščyj)

extraordinary

• Catalan: superior (ca)
• Finnish: erinomainen (fi)
• Kabuverdianu: nhaku
• Lithuanian: ypatingasis

• Russian: превосхо́дный (ru) (prevosxódnyj)
• Swedish: utmärkt (sv), förstklassig (sv)
• Ukrainian: найлі́пший (najlípšyj)

Noun

superior (plural superiors)

1. A person of higher rank or quality.
2. The senior person in a monastic community.
3. The head of certain churches and colleges.
4. (Scotland, 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.

Synonyms

• (a person of higher rank): overling

Related terms

• father superior
• mother superior

Translations

person of higher rank

• Dutch: ^{(please verify)} superieur (nl), meerdere (nl) m or f
• Esperanto: ^{(please verify)} superulo
• German: ^{(please verify)} Vorgesetzter (de) m, ^{(please verify)} Vorgesetzte (de) f
• Italian: ^{(please verify)} superiore (it) m

• Japanese: 貴人 (ja) (atebito), 目上 (ja) (meue)
• Polish: zwierzchnik (pl) m, przełożony (pl) m
• Romanian: superior (ro) m, superioară f
• Swedish: ^{(please verify)} överordnad (sv) c

Further reading

• superior in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• superior in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911.
• superior at OneLook Dictionary Search

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Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin superior, attested from 1653.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic, Central) IPA^(key): /su.pə.ɾiˈo/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /su.pe.ɾiˈoɾ/

Adjective

superior (masculine and feminine plural superiors)

1. superior, higher, high

   Antonym: inferior

Related terms

• superioritat

Noun

superior m or f (plural superiors)

1. superior

Further reading

• “superior” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “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.

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Latin

Etymology

From super (“above, over”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /suˈpe.ri.or/, [s̠ʊˈpɛ.ɾi.ɔr]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /suˈpe.ri.or/, [suˈpɛː.ri.ɔr]

Adjective

superior (neuter superius, positive superus); third declension

1. higher
2. superior
3. previous, preceding

Declension

Third-declension comparative adjective.

Number	Singular			Plural
Case / Gender	Masc./Fem.	Neuter		Masc./Fem.	Neuter
Nominative	superior	superius		superiōrēs	superiōra
Genitive	superiōris			superiōrum
Dative	superiōrī			superiōribus
Accusative	superiōrem	superius		superiōrēs	superiōra
Ablative	superiōre			superiōribus
Vocative	superior	superius		superiōrēs	superiōra

Descendants

• Catalan: superior
• English: superior
• French: supérieur
• Italian: superiore
• Piedmontese: superior
• Portuguese: superior
• Romanian: superior
• Spanish: superior

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^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • heights, high ground: loca edita, superiora
    
  • last year: superiore, priore anno
    
  • premises; consequences: prima (superiora); consequentia (Fin. 4. 19. 54)
    
  • in his former consulship: superiore consulatu
    
  • to gain a weak case by clever pleading: causam inferiorem dicendo reddere superiorem (λόγον κρείττω ποιειν) (Brut. 8. 30)
    
  • to occupy the high ground: occupare loca superiora
    
  • to have the advantage in cavalry: equitatu superiorem esse
    
  • to come off victorious: superiorem (opp. inferiorem), victorem (proelio, pugna) discedere
    

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Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin superior.

Pronunciation

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /su.pɨˈɾjoɾ/
• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /su.pe.ɾi.ˈoʁ/
• Hyphenation: su‧pe‧ri‧or

Adjective

superior m or f (plural superiores, comparable)

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.

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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

Declension

Declension of superior

		singular			plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine	masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative/ accusative	indefinite	superior		superioară	superiori	superioare
	definite	superiorul		superioara	superiorii	superioarele
genitive/ dative	indefinite	superior		superioare	superiori	superioare
	definite	superiorului		superioarei	superiorilor	superioarelor

Antonyms

• inferior

Related terms

• superioritate

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Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin superior.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /supeˈɾjoɾ/

Adjective

superior (plural superiores)

1. upper, higher
2. better
3. superior

Derived terms

• anterosuperior
• corte superior
• elevador del párpado superior
• letra superior
• paso superior
• posterosuperior
• raza superior
• vena cava superior

 

Noun

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

1. boss

   Synonyms: jefe, jefa, patrón, patrona

Related terms

• superioridad

Further reading

• “superior” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.