superior
[adjective]
Synonyms:
- better, grander, greater, higher, surpassing, unrivalled
- supercilious, condescending, disdainful, haughty, lofty, lordly, patronizing, pretentious, snobbish
- first-class, choice, de luxe, excellent, exceptional, exclusive, first-rate
[noun]
Synonyms:
- boss (informal), chief, director, manager, principal, senior, supervisor

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Antonyms: inferior, average
Contrasted words: lesser, lower, nether, under, commonplace, ordinary, unexceptional, unremarkable
Related Words: major, primary, senior, noteworthy, remarkable, unusual, heavyweight

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English Thesaurus: better, superior, preferable, be an improvement on something, have the edge, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

Superior, Lake
the largest of the Great Lakes on the border between Canada and the US, which is also the largest freshwater lake (=whose water does not contain salt) in the world

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

I. su‧pe‧ri‧or¹ /suːˈpɪəriə $ sʊˈpɪriər/ adjective [no comparative]
[Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: superieur, from Latin superior 'further above', from superus 'upper', from super; ⇒ super-]

1. better, more powerful, more effective etc than a similar person or thing, especially one that you are competing against Antonym : inferior:
Fletcher’s superior technique brought him victory.
superior to
Your computer is far superior to mine.
He loves making fun of women. It makes him feel superior.
a vastly superior (=very much better, stronger etc) army

2. thinking that you are better than other people – used to show disapproval:
She had that superior tone of voice.

3. [only before noun] having a higher position or rank than someone else Antonym : inferior:
Don’t you usually salute a superior officer?
a superior court

4. [only before noun] of very good quality – used especially in advertising:
a superior wine
⇒ Mother Superior

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. superior² noun [countable]
someone who has a higher rank or position than you, especially in a job:
He had a good working relationship with his immediate superior (=the person directly above him).

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

superior
adj.
VERBS be, look, seem | become | make sth What is it that makes this technique superior?
consider sth, see sth as I don't see either product as superior to the other.
ADV. clearly, distinctly, far, greatly, markedly, vastly The new products are far superior to the old ones. They defeated a greatly superior Roman army.
altogether, infinitely, wholly The house was altogether superior to the kind of thing most men of Adam's age could aspire to.
rather, slightly, somewhat | inherently, intrinsically, naturally | supposedly | undoubtedly | numerically the numerically superior (= larger in numbers) British forces
economically, educationally, intellectually, morally, socially, technically
PREP. in a microwave that is vastly superior in design to all other models
to She felt socially superior to most of her neighbours.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

superior
noun
ADJ. immediate The form has to be signed by your immediate superior.
social
VERB + SUPERIOR report sb/sth to She threatened to report the assistant to his superiors.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

superior

far/vastly/greatly superior
They soon realized that the opposing team’s players were far superior to their own.
infinitely superior (=very much better)
You’d be better off visiting the infinitely superior Imperial War Museum.
inherently superior (=better because of its nature)
He believed that some races were inherently superior to others.
morally superior
They also accuse Christians of pretending to be morally superior.
technically superior
Our job is to convince consumers that our product is technically superior to its competitors.
superior quality
Digital radios offer a superior quality of sound.
superior performance
This boat meets the needs of serious yachtsmen who demand superior performance.
superior knowledge/intelligence
She was always showing off her superior knowledge.
superior strength/power
He used his superior strength to wrestle Ben to the ground.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

superior
adjective
BAD: The second hotel was far superior than the first one.
GOOD: The second hotel was far superior to the first one.

Usage Note:
See note at INFERIOR (inferior)

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

better the comparative of good:
She wants a better job.
The sales figures were far better than expected.
Lucy’s better at French than I am.
superior better, especially in quality:
German cars are far superior.
a superior product
He thinks men are superior to women.
preferable formal more suitable or useful – used when saying which one you prefer:
Cash would be preferable.
Anything would be preferable to the system we have now.
be an improvement on something to be better than something that existed before:
The engine is a huge improvement on previous diesel engines.
have the edge to be slightly better than another person or thing – used especially when saying which one will win in a game or competition:
Federer is likely to have the edge in Sunday’s game.
For me, this film has the edge over the others.
be miles ahead (of somebody/something) (also be streets ahead (of somebody/something) British English) informal to be very much better than someone or something that you are competing against:
The company is streets ahead of its rivals.
there’s no comparison spoken used to emphasize that one person or thing is clearly much better than someone or something else:
There’s no comparison between the two teams.
‘Which apartment do you prefer?' 'Well, there’s no comparison. The first one we saw is bigger, quieter, and has much nicer furniture.'

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲