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SUPERIORLY

 - 7 dictionary results

su⋅pe⋅ri⋅or

  [suh-peer-ee-er, soo-]
Use SUPERIORLY in a Sentence
–adjective
1. higher in station, rank, degree, importance, etc.: a superior officer.
2. above the average in excellence, merit, intelligence, etc.: superior math students.
3. of higher grade or quality: superior merchandise.
4. greater in quantity or amount: superior numbers.
5. showing a consciousness or feeling of being better than or above others: superior airs.
6. not yielding or susceptible (usually fol. by to): to be superior to temptation.
7. higher in place or position: We moved our camp to superior ground.
8. Botany.
a. situated above some other organ.
b. (of a calyx) seeming to originate from the top of the ovary.
c. (of an ovary) free from the calyx.
9. Anatomy. (of an organ or part)
a. higher in place or position; situated above another.
b. toward the head. Compare inferior (def. 7).
10. Printing. written or printed high on a line of text, as the “2” in a2b; superscript. Compare inferior (def. 9).
–noun
11. one superior to another.
12. Also called superscript. Printing. a superior letter, number, or symbol. Compare inferior (def. 11).
13. Ecclesiastical. the head of a monastery, convent, or the like.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME (adj.) < L, equiv. to super(us) situated above (adj. deriv. of super; see super- ) + -ior comp. suffix; see -er 4

Related forms:
su⋅pe⋅ri⋅or⋅ly, adverb

Synonyms:
2. excellent, distinguished, unrivaled, first-rate, matchless. 5. haughty, arrogant, snobbish.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To SUPERIORLY
su·pe·ri·or   (sŏŏ-pîr'ē-ər)   
adj.  

  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.

n.  

  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.


[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin, comparative of superus, upper, from super, over; see uper in Indo-European roots.]
su·pe'ri·or'i·ty (-ôr'ĭ-tē, -ŏr'-) n., su·pe'ri·or·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

superior  (adj.)
1390, "higher in position," from O.Fr. superior, from L. superiorem (nom. superior) "higher," comparative of superus "situated above, upper," from super "above, over" (see super-). Meaning "higher in rank or dignity" is attested from 1485; sense of "of a higher nature or character" is attested from 1533. Noun meaning "person of higher rank" is attested from 1483.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: su·pe·ri·or
Function: adjective
: of higher status, rank, or priority
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: su·pe·ri·or
Pronunciation: su-'pir-E-&r
Function: adjective
1 : situated toward the head and further away fromthe feet than another and especially another similar part of an upright body especially of a human being superior medial edge of the patient's right scapula —J. M. Lewis>—compare INFERIOR 1
2 : situated in a more anterior or dorsal position in the body of a quadruped—compare INFERIOR 2

Main Entry: su·pe·ri·or·ly
Pronunciation: su-'pir-E-&r-lE
Function: adverb
: in or to a more superior position or directionsuperiorly oriented —H. T. Karsner>
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

superior su·pe·ri·or (s&oobreve;-pēr'ē-ər)
adj.

  1. Higher than another in rank, station, or authority.

  2. Situated above or directed upward.

  3. Situated nearer the top of the head.

su·pe'ri·or·ly adv.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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