superiority

noun su·pe·ri·or·i·ty \ su̇-ˌpir-ē-ˈȯr-ə-tē , ˌsü- , -ˈär- \

Updated on: 21 Apr 2018

Definition of superiority

plural superiorities

: the quality or state of being superior; also : a superior characteristic

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Examples of superiority in a Sentence

His success has given him a false sense of superiority.
the superiority of some of the customers at the exclusive beauty salon is enough to curl your hair

Recent Examples of superiority from the Web

In Sri Lanka, as across most of South Asia, surprisingly large numbers of people among groups that enjoy overwhelming numerical superiority seem eager to convince themselves that their identity is somehow in mortal danger.

— The Economist, "Why South Asia’s majorities act like persecuted minorities," 12 Apr. 2018
The show’s single lengthy speech – in which Ned, at a Q&A session, movingly details the cascading calamities that impelled him to the retreat – reminds us of the superiority of words as a means of communication.

— julia m. klein, Philly.com, "'Small Mouth Sounds' at Philadelphia Theatre Company: Sensitive, artful drama of silence and need," 15 Mar. 2018
There is also more than a whiff of consultant-class superiority behind all of this.

— alex shephard, The New Republic, "The Real Retail Killer," 28 Mar. 2018
But a visit to Tasmania, in Australia, convinced Chika of the superiority of rural life.

— The Economist, "Not all Japanese towns and villages are atrophying," 22 Mar. 2018
President Donald Trump may have inadvertently restarted the 20 year-old debate about how America can establish military superiority in orbit.

— Bloomberg.com, "+1 212 318 2000," 21 Mar. 2018
Being in the vanguard gives social superiority, satisfying that most dangerous product of a commercial society—amour-propre.

— martin peretz, WSJ, "‘A Foreign Policy for the Left’ Review: Can There Be a ‘Decent’ Left?," 14 Mar. 2018
Rogers sees the Air Force, the military branch with the most space assets and potential, as being too focused on superiority closer to the Earth with airplanes.

— lee roop, AL.com, "Trump's 'Space Force' idea sounds good to Alabama representatives," 14 Mar. 2018
In fact, scientists have discovered three types of smiles: rewarding smiles, which indicate encouragement; affiliation smiles, which indicate relatability; and dominant smiles, which indicate superiority.

— kimberly hickok, Science | AAAS, "The condescending smiles of others stress us out," 13 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'superiority.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.