adj
superior
soo-PEER-ree-uh
adj
1
Higher in rank, quality, or status than another.
"This fabric is superior to the cheaper alternative."
"He reported the incident to his superior officer."
2
Acting as though one is better than others; arrogant.
"She gave a superior smile that annoyed everyone in the room."
noun
1
A person of higher rank, especially in a job or organisation.
"He always deferred to his superiors on major decisions."
How to Use Superior
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishBetter or higher-ranking than something else — or, about a person's attitude, snobbishly self-important.
Common mistake
"Superior to" takes "to", not "than" (superior to, not superior than) — unlike comparatives such as "better than".
Common pairings
superior to
superior officer
feel superior
Word Forms
more superior comparative, superiors plural, most superior superlative
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Etymology
From Old French superiour, from Latin superior, "higher, upper" — the comparative form of super, "above".