Meaning & use
sense of superiority
Last updated
Meaning
nounsingulardisapproving
a feeling that you are better or more important than other people
Grammar: Usually used with a: a sense of superiority. It can be plural in general statements: senses of superiority.
Patterns
- a sense of superiority
- a sense of superiority over someone
- have a sense of superiority
His constant sense of superiority makes him difficult to work with.
The group developed a sense of superiority over the other teams.
She spoke with a quiet sense of superiority that annoyed everyone.
Word forms
| plural | senses of superiority |
|---|
Common combinations
- a sense of superiority over
- He had a strong sense of superiority over his classmates.
- develop a sense of superiority
- Living in a wealthy area can make children develop a sense of superiority.
- moral superiority
- Her moral superiority made honest discussion impossible.
- a false sense of superiority
- His false sense of superiority collapsed when he failed the exam.
Synonyms and how they differ
- arrogance
- Stronger and more openly negative; arrogance is behavior, while a sense of superiority is the inner feeling.
- conceit
- More literary and focuses on too high an opinion of yourself, especially your abilities.
- snobbery
- Specifically about social class, wealth, or taste, not general superiority.
Opposites
Word family
- superior adjective
- better in quality or rank than someone or something else
- superiority noun
- the state of being better or higher in rank
- superiorly adverb
- in a way that shows you think you are better
Commonly confused: sense of superiority or superiority complex?
sense of superiority vs superiority complex
A superiority complex is a fixed psychological pattern; a sense of superiority can be a temporary feeling in one situation.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'sense of superiority' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Sense of superiority over someone' is the standard pattern, meaning she feels better than her colleagues. The other options use the phrase with unrelated ideas and do not make sense.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “sense of superiority”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.