superior

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See also: Superior

English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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superior (not comparable)

  1. Higher in rank, status, or quality.
    Rebecca had always thought shorts were far superior to pants, as they didn't constantly make her legs itch.
    • 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter XII, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:
      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.
    • 2022 January 12, David Clough, “From Germany with love: a Warship perspective”, in RAIL, number 948, page 46:
      Additionally, reliability proved to be superior to NBL's design, with an average of 120,000 miles run during 1959.
    1. Of high standard or quality.
      • 1905, E. M. Forster, Where Angels Fear to Tread , chapter 3:
        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.
    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.
    a superior figure or letter
  4. Located above or out; higher in position.
    the superior jaw; the superior part of an image
    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.
    A genus is superior to a species.
  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

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Antonyms

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Coordinate terms

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Derived terms

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Translations

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Noun

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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

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References

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Catalan

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Latin superiōrem. First attested in 1653.[1]

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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superior m or f (masculine and feminine plural superiors)

  1. superior, higher, high
    Antonym: inferior
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Noun

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superior m or f by sense (plural superiors)

  1. superior

References

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  1. ^ “superior”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2024

Further reading

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Latin

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Etymology

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

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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superior (neuter superius); third declension

  1. comparative degree of superus
    1. Higher, upper. (of place)
    2. Former, past, previous, preceding. (of time or order of succession)
      1. (especially of age, time of life, etc.) Older, elder, senior, more advanced, former.
    3. Victorious, conquering, stronger, superior. (of strength or success in battle or any contest)
    4. Higher, more distinguished, greater, superior. (of quality, condition, number, etc.)

Inflection

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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
superiōrīs 		superiōra
Ablative superiōre
superiōrī 		superiōribus
Vocative superior superius superiōrēs superiōra

Descendants

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Descendants of superior

References

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  • “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.
    • 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

Occitan

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Etymology

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From Latin superior.

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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

  1. superior
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Portuguese

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Etymology

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Learned borrowing from Latin superiōrem.

Pronunciation

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  • (Brazil) IPA(key): /su.pe.ɾiˈoʁ/ [su.pe.ɾɪˈoh], (faster pronunciation) /su.peˈɾjoʁ/ [su.peˈɾjoh]
    • (São Paulo) IPA(key): /su.pe.ɾiˈoɾ/ [su.pe.ɾɪˈoɾ], (faster pronunciation) /su.peˈɾjoɾ/
    • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA(key): /su.pe.ɾiˈoʁ/ [su.pe.ɾɪˈoχ], (faster pronunciation) /su.peˈɾjoʁ/ [su.peˈɾjoχ]
    • (Southern Brazil) IPA(key): /su.pe.ɾiˈoɻ/ [su.pe.ɾɪˈoɻ], (faster pronunciation) /su.peˈɾjoɻ/
 
  • (Portugal) IPA(key): /su.pɨˈɾjoɾ/, (with elision) /su.pɾiˈoɾ/, (with elision, faster pronunciation) /suˈpɾjoɾ/
    • (Southern Portugal) IPA(key): /su.pɨˈɾjo.ɾi/, (with elision) /su.pɾiˈo.ɾi/, (with elision, faster pronunciation) /suˈpɾjo.ɾi/

  • Hyphenation: su‧pe‧ri‧or

Adjective

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superior m or f (plural superiores)

  1. upper, higher
  2. better
  3. superior

Antonyms

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Derived terms

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Noun

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

  1. boss
  2. head of a monastery

Further reading

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Romanian

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Etymology

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Borrowed from French supérieur, Latin superior.

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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

  1. superior
    Antonym: inferior

Declension

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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
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Spanish

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Latin superior.

Pronunciation

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

Adjective

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superior m or f (masculine and feminine plural superiores)

  1. upper, higher
  2. better
  3. superior

Derived terms

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Noun

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

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

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