Meaning & use
being better than someone
Last updated
Meaning
phrasefixed phrase
the state of being superior to another person in ability, quality, or worth.
Grammar: Used as a noun phrase: 'Being better than someone isn't always important.' It often follows verbs like 'enjoy', 'hate', or 'mean'.
Patterns
- being better than someone at something
- being better than someone in something
- being better than someone
He enjoys being better than someone at chess, but he is not a good loser.
Being better than someone doesn't give you the right to be rude.
She is not interested in being better than someone; she just wants to improve herself.
Common combinations
- being better than someone at
- Being better than someone at sports can make you popular, but also envied.
- being better than someone in
- Being better than someone in math doesn't mean you are smarter overall.
- being better than someone else
- Competition is about being better than someone else, but also about self-improvement.
Synonyms and how they differ
- superiority
- A noun meaning the state of being better; more formal and often negative.
- outdoing
- Focuses on the action of surpassing someone, not the state.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: being better than someone or better then someone?
being better than someone vs better then someone
'Then' is about time; 'than' is used for comparisons. The correct phrase is 'better than someone'.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'being better than someone' correctly?
Choose one answer.
When describing a general comparison, we use 'better than someone', not 'being better than someone'. 'Being' suggests a temporary state. 'Then' is incorrect; it should be 'than'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “being better than someone”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.