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HOW TO PRONOUNCE

superior

/sʊˈpɪɹ.i.ɚ/

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American Pronunciation Guide · 1:05
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What does superior mean?

adjective

  1. Higher in rank, status, or quality.
  2. Of high standard or quality.
  3. Greater in size or power.
More meanings (31)

adjective

  1. Beyond the power or influence of; too great or firm to be subdued or affected by.
  2. Greater or better than average.
  3. Courageously or serenely indifferent (as to something painful or disheartening).
  4. Printed in superscript.
  5. Located above or out; higher in position.
  6. Located above or higher, a direction that in humans corresponds to cephalad.
  7. (of a calyx) Above the ovary; said of parts of the flower which, although normally below the ovary, adhere to it, and so appear to originate from its upper part.
  8. (of an ovary) Above and free from the other floral organs.
  9. Belonging to the part of an axillary flower which is toward the main stem.
  10. (of the radicle) Pointing toward the apex of the fruit.
  11. More comprehensive.
  12. Affecting or assuming an air of superiority.
  13. Having a wider orbit around the Sun; typically with respect to the Earth.

noun

  1. The senior person in a monastic community.
  2. The head of certain religious institutions and colleges.
  3. A superior letter, figure, or symbol.
  4. (historical) One who has made an original grant of heritable property to a tenant or vassal, on condition of a certain annual payment (feu duty) or of the performance of certain services.

proper noun

  1. A town in Pinal County, Arizona.
  2. A statutory town in Boulder County, Colorado.
  3. An unincorporated community in Raccoon Township, Parke County, Indiana.
  4. A minor city in Dickinson County, Iowa.
  5. A township in Chippewa County, Michigan.
  6. A township and unincorporated community therein, in Washtenaw County, Michigan.
  7. A town, the county seat of Mineral County, Montana.
  8. A small city in Nuckolls County, Nebraska.
  9. An unincorporated community in McDowell County, West Virginia.
  10. A city, village, and civil town in Wisconsin. The city is the county seat of Douglas County.
  11. A town in Sweetwater County, Wyoming.
  12. Ellipsis of Lake Superior.
  13. Ellipsis of Superior Craton.
  14. Synonym of Superia.

Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0

IPA pronunciation

/sʊˈpɪɹ.i.ɚ/

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0

Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.

In the pages of books

See this word in context.

“And with good right may they go before us—forget not,” said the Prior Aymer, “the superior decency and decorum of their manners.”
Walter ScottIvanhoe: A RomanceProject Gutenberg ebook #82
He passed on through the churchyard, where, amongst the new headstones, he saw one of a somewhat superior design to the rest.
Thomas HardyTess of the d'Urbervilles: A Pure WomanProject Gutenberg ebook #110
More book examples (3)
And if we are able thus to attack an inferior force with a superior one, our opponents will be in dire straits.
active 6th century B.C. SunziThe Art of WarTranslated by Lionel GilesProject Gutenberg ebook #132
Otherwise, it would be superior to intelligence, and the beast would be found to be provided with a better light than man.
Victor HugoLes MisérablesTranslated by Isabel Florence HapgoodProject Gutenberg ebook #135
The hero is also a superior man, who plays the part of Providence to the family which has refused to recognize him.
René DoumicGeorge Sand: Some Aspects of Her Life and WritingsTranslated by Alys HallardProject Gutenberg ebook #138