Meaning & use

superstructure

noun·Advanced

The part of a building, ship, or structure built above its foundation or main deck.

See it in a sentence

Workers began erecting the superstructure once the foundation had set.

The ship's superstructure housed the bridge and the crew's quarters.

A note on using this word

Superstructure is also used figuratively for a complex system built upon a more basic underlying framework, such as an economic superstructure.

Words with a similar meaning

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Words with an opposite meaning

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