superior

su·pe·ri·or

1. Higher than another in rank, station, or authority: a superior officer.
2. Of a higher nature or kind.
3. Of great value or excellence; extraordinary.
4. Greater in number or amount than another: an army defeated by superior numbers of enemy troops.
5. Affecting an attitude of disdain or conceit; haughty and supercilious.
6. Above being affected or influenced; indifferent or immune: “Trust magnates were superior to law” (Gustavus Myers).
7. Located higher than another; upper.
8. Botany Inserted or situated above the perianth. Used of an ovary.
9. Printing Set above the main line of type.
10. Logic Of wider or more comprehensive application; generic. Used of a term or proposition.

1. One that surpasses another in rank or quality.
2. Ecclesiastical The head of a religious community, such as a monastery, abbey, or convent.
3. Printing A superior character, as the number 2 in x².

Origin: Middle English, from Old French, from Latin, comparative of superus, upper, from super, over; see uper in Indo-European roots.

Related Forms:

• superiority su·peˌri·orˈi·ty (-ôrˈĭ-tē, -ŏrˈ-) noun

• superiorly su·peˈri·or·ly adverb

Su·pe·ri·or