Meaning & use
superior
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Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Better in quality, skill, or value than something else of the same kind.
Grammar: Used with to, not than: this model is superior to the old one.
Patterns
- be superior to something
- a superior product
The newer camera is clearly superior to the old one.
They won the match through superior fitness.
The shop sells superior coffee beans at a fair price.
adjectivebefore a noun
Higher in rank, position, or authority than another person or group.
Grammar: Often appears before a noun to mean higher in a hierarchy: a superior officer.
Patterns
- a superior officer
- superior to someone
The sergeant reported the problem to his superior officer.
A superior court can overturn the decision of a lower one.
Her position is superior to mine in the company structure.
adjectivecomparabledisapproving
Showing that you think you are better than other people.
Grammar: Often used with a negative sense about attitude: a superior smile.
Patterns
- act superior
- a superior manner
He gave a superior smile when she made a mistake.
I hate the way she talks in that superior tone.
Nobody likes a colleague who acts superior all the time.
nouncountable
A person who has a higher rank or position than you, especially at work.
Grammar: Countable and usually possessive: my superior, his superiors.
Patterns
- report to a superior
- a superior of someone
Please ask your superior for permission before you leave.
The officer obeyed the orders of his superiors.
She never criticized her superiors in public.
Word forms
| plural | superiors |
|---|
Common combinations
- superior to
- Her handwriting is far superior to mine.
- vastly superior
- The home team were vastly superior in the second half.
- superior officer
- A soldier must obey a superior officer.
- morally superior
- He never felt morally superior to the people he helped.
- superior quality
- The shop is known for superior quality leather.
- feel superior
- Winning did not make her feel superior.
Synonyms and how they differ
- better
- Better is the everyday word and is used with than, while superior is more formal and takes to.
- excellent
- Excellent describes something very good in itself, but superior always implies a comparison.
- senior
- Senior is about rank or length of service, whereas superior can also describe quality.
- arrogant
- Arrogant describes a proud personality, while the attitude sense of superior focuses on looking down on others.
Opposites
Word family
- superiority noun
- the state of being better or higher
- inferior adjective
- lower in quality or rank
- superiorly adverb
- in a better or higher way, rarely used
- superlative adjective
- of the highest quality, or the grammatical form meaning most
Commonly confused: superior or supervisor?
superior vs supervisor
A supervisor is someone who watches and directs the work of others, while a superior is anyone of higher rank.
Practice
Choose the correct completion: This laptop is superior ___ the old one in every way.
Choose one answer.
Superior is followed by to, not than, when you compare two things. The other prepositions are not used with this adjective.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “superior”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.