Superior — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective noun /su̇-ˈpir-ē-ər/ su·pe·ri·or

Meaning & Definition of Superior

Superior (adjective)

  1. situated higher up, upper
  2. of higher rank, quality, or importance
  3. courageously or serenely indifferent (as to something painful or disheartening)

Superior (noun)

  1. one who is above another in rank, station, or office; especially, the head of a religious house or order
  2. one that surpasses another in quality or merit
  3. superscript

Superior (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. having a feeling of superiority that shows itself in an overbearing attitude

    "that superior sportscaster lets it be known that he thinks all foreign baseball teams are second-rate"

    similar: arrogant, assumptive, bumptious, cavalier, chesty, haughty, high-and-mighty, high-handed, high-hat, highfalutin, huffish, huffy, imperious, important, lofty, lordly, masterful, overweening, peremptory, pompous, presuming, presumptuous, pretentious, self-asserting, self-assertive, sniffy, stiff-necked, supercilious, toplofty, uppish, uppity
    related: authoritarian, bossy, dominant, dominating, domineering, magisterial, pontifical, pontificating, condescending, disdainful, patronizing, impertinent, impudent, saucy, snobbish, snobby, snooty, blusterous, blustery, boastful, bombastic, braggart, bragging, braggy, cocky, swaggering, vain, vainglorious, complacent, conceited, egocentric, egoistic, egotistic, hubristic, narcissistic, orgulous, prideful, proud, self-affected, self-applauding, self-centered, self-complacent, self-conceited, self-pleased, self-satisfied, smug, stuck-up, self-flattering, self-loving, self-promoting, brash, forward, uninhibited, unreserved, extroverted, immodest
    opposite: humble, lowly, modest, unarrogant, unpretentious
    near: bashful, cowering, cringing, demure, diffident, introverted, mousy, overmodest, self-critical, self-doubting, sheepish, shrinking, shy, subdued, timid, acquiescent, compliant, deferential, meek, passive, submissive, unaggressive, unassertive, unassuming, unobtrusive, yielding, quiet, reserved, retiring

  2. having or displaying feelings of scorn for what is regarded as beneath oneself

    "the superior attitude of the store owner's son drove the other employees crazy"

    similar: disdainful, haughty, highfalutin, lofty, lordly, prideful, proud
    related: complacent, conceited, egoistic, egotistic, important, self-assertive, self-conceited, self-contented, self-important, self-satisfied, smug, uppity, vain, vainglorious, arrogant, pretentious, sniffy, snobbish, stuck-up, supercilious, cavalier, overbearing, overweening, peremptory, swaggering, high-sounding, pompous, condescending, patronizing, cocky, overconfident, presumptuous, bloated, boastful, bombastic, self-glorifying, audacious, bold, brash, brassy, cheeky, cocksure, forward, impertinent, impudent, saucy, confident, presuming, self-assured, self-confident, sure, bossy, domineering, high-handed, imperious, egocentric, self-centered, selfish, dominating, magisterial, masterful
    opposite: humble, lowly, modest
    near: demure, homely, meek, unassuming, unpretending, unpretentious, bashful, retiring, shy, timid, diffident, self-doubting, acquiescent, compliant, deferential, ingratiating, resigned, submissive, unassertive, yielding, apologetic, cowering, cringing, shrinking, passive, quiet, reserved, subdued, unobtrusive

  3. of the very best kind

    "a five-star restaurant known for its superior wine list"

    similar: A-OK, A1, awesome, bang-up, banner, beautiful, blue-chip, blue-ribbon, boffo, bonny (chiefly British), boss (slang), brag, brave, bully, bumper, capital, choice, classic, cool (slang), corking, crackerjack, cracking, dandy, divine, dope (slang), down (slang), dynamite, excellent, fab, fabulous, famous, fantabulous (slang), fantastic, fine, first-class, first-rate, first-string, five-star, four-star, frontline, gangbusters, gilt-edged, gone (slang), grand, great, groovy, heavenly, high-class, hot, hype (slang), immense, jim-dandy, keen, lovely, marvelous, mean, neat, nifty, noble, number one, numero uno, out-of-sight (slang), par excellence, peachy, peachy keen, phat (slang), prime, primo (slang), prize, prizewinning, quality, radical (slang), righteous (slang), sensational, slick, splendid, stellar, sterling, superb, superlative, supernal, swell, terrific, tip-top, top, top-notch, top-of-the-line, top-shelf, topflight, topping (chiefly British), unsurpassed, wizard (chiefly British), wonderful, out of this world, too much
    related: acceptable, adequate, all right, decent, good, OK, passable, satisfactory, tolerable, better, exceptional, fancy, high-grade, high-test, premium, select, special, superfine, classical, standard, traditional
    opposite: atrocious, awful, execrable, lousy, pathetic, poor, rotten, terrible, vile, wretched
    near: bad, inferior, low-grade, substandard, unsatisfactory, mediocre, middling, second-class, second-rate

  4. standing above others in rank, importance, or achievement

    "a university known for attracting superior scientists and mathematicians"

    similar: astral, bright, distinguished, eminent, illustrious, luminous, noble, notable, noteworthy, outstanding, preeminent, prestigious, redoubtable, signal, star
    related: celebrated, exalted, famed, famous, glorious, honored, renowned, reputable, infamous, notorious, dominant, paramount, predominant
    near: insignificant, minor, unimportant, average, inferior, mediocre, obscure, uncelebrated, unsung

Superior (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. one who is above another in rank, station, or office

    "if a customer is rude to you, report it to your superior and she'll handle it"

    similar: better, elder, senior
    related: boss, chief, head, leader, master
    opposite: inferior, subordinate, underling
    near: assistant, deputy

Related Entry: Mother superior (noun)

Mother superior is a different word from Superior. The synonyms below are for mother superior, not for superior.

  1. as in Reverend Mother, anchoress

    similar: abbess, anchoress, cloistress (obsolete), conventual, novice, prioress, religious, Reverend Mother, votary (archaic), nun, sister, clergywoman, deaconess, high priestess, priestess, friar, mendicant, monastic, monk, oblate, clergyperson, cleric, clerical, clerk, deacon, divine, dominie, ecclesiastic, high priest, minister, preacher, reverend, abbot, archbishop, archpriest, bishop, dean, diocesan, monsignor, pope, prelate, presbyter, churchman, clergyman, father, Holy Joe (slang), padre, abbé, curate, curé, parson, pastor, rector, shepherd, vicar, chaplain, confessor, sky pilot, evangelist, missionary, missioner, missionizer, revivalist
    opposite: lay reader, lector, layman, layperson, secular

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Superior

The most common words with a similar meaning to Superior:

Slang: boss, cool, dope, down, fantabulous, gone, hype, out-of-sight, phat, primo, radical, righteous
Chiefly British: bonny, topping, wizard
arrogant, assumptive, bumptious, cavalier, chesty, haughty, high-and-mighty, high-handed, high-hat, highfalutin, huffish, huffy, imperious, important, lofty, lordly, masterful, overweening, peremptory, pompous, presuming, presumptuous, pretentious, self-asserting, self-assertive, sniffy, stiff-necked, supercilious, toplofty, uppish, uppity, disdainful, prideful, proud, A-OK, A1, awesome, bang-up, banner, beautiful

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Superior

Words with the opposite meaning of Superior:

humble, lowly, modest, unarrogant, unpretentious, atrocious, awful, execrable, lousy, pathetic, poor, rotten, terrible, vile, wretched, inferior, subordinate, underling

Related Words for Superior

authoritarian, bossy, dominant, dominating, domineering, magisterial, pontifical, pontificating, condescending, patronizing, impertinent, impudent, saucy, snobbish, snobby, snooty, blusterous, blustery, boastful, bombastic, braggart, bragging, braggy, cocky, swaggering, vain, vainglorious, complacent, conceited, egocentric

Near Antonyms of Superior

bashful, cowering, cringing, demure, diffident, introverted, mousy, overmodest, self-critical, self-doubting, sheepish, shrinking, shy, subdued, timid, acquiescent, compliant, deferential, meek, passive, submissive, unaggressive, unassertive, unassuming, unobtrusive, yielding, quiet, reserved, retiring, homely

Word Forms of Superior

Derived words: superiorly (adverb)

Origin & Etymology of Superior

Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin, comparative of superus upper, from super over, above over

First known use: 14th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Superior

Words & Phrases Containing Superior

superior conjunction, superior court, superior general, superior planet, superior vena cava, highly superior autobiographical memory

Frequently Asked Questions about Superior

What does "Superior" mean?

"Superior" means situated higher up, upper. As an an adjective and a noun, it is defined as: situated higher up, upper. It has 5 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Superior"?

Other words for "Superior" include arrogant, assumptive, bumptious, cavalier, chesty, haughty, high-and-mighty and high-handed. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Superior" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Superior"?

There are 251 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Superior". Common alternatives include arrogant, assumptive, bumptious, cavalier, chesty, haughty, high-and-mighty, high-handed, high-hat and highfalutin.

What is a slang word for "Superior"?

Slang words for "Superior" include boss, cool, dope, down, fantabulous and gone.

What is the opposite of "Superior"?

Antonyms of "Superior" include humble, lowly, modest, unarrogant, unpretentious, atrocious, awful and execrable. Near antonyms include bashful, cowering, cringing and demure.

How do you use "Superior" in a sentence?

Examples of "Superior" in a sentence: "that superior sportscaster lets it be known that he thinks all foreign baseball teams are second-rate"; "the superior attitude of the store owner's son drove the other employees crazy"; "a five-star restaurant known for its superior wine list".

Is "Superior" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Superior" can be used as an adjective and a noun, depending on the context.

Is "Superior" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a C1-level word, "Superior" is typical of Cambridge C1 Advanced (CAE), IELTS band 7.0–8.0, TOEFL iBT 95–113, PTE Academic 76–84, TOEIC Listening & Reading 945+. Advanced words like this are also useful for the GRE, SAT, GMAT, and LSAT.