superiority

play

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

Definition of superiority

plural superiorities

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

See superiority defined for English-language learners

See superiority defined for kids

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 the 21st century, Neo-Nazis and other anti-government groups have joined with the Klan in promoting white racial superiority and terrorizing blacks and other minority groups.

— beth py-lieberman, Smithsonian, "Smithsonian’s African American History Museum Releases Statement on Charlottesville and Confederate Memorials," 20 Aug. 2017
The individuals commemorated made little mark on history other than leading or fighting a war to preserve slavery, and many statues were erected in eras when white superiority was an open aspiration.

— jim dwyer, New York Times, "A ‘Common Sense’ Flood Zone Rule Gets Lost in the Trump Storm," 17 Aug. 2017
The memo lists five priority areas (in this order): military superiority, security, prosperity, energy dominance, and health.

— jeffrey mervis, Science | AAAS, "Trump offers his first list of science priorities, and it’s America first," 17 Aug. 2017
Ball's father, Lavar, grabbed headlines with talk of Lonzo's superiority, shoe contracts and more all offseason.

— fletcher page, The Courier-Journal, "Julius Randle: De'Aaron Fox, Lonzo Ball rivalry will 'live forever'," 22 July 2017
Proton therapy has traditionally been controversial in health care because of its high cost and questions about its superiority over less expensive treatments.

— jc reindl, Detroit Free Press, "Beaumont trumpets, defends new pricey proton beam cancer center," 13 July 2017
If not, that's OK, those of us on the inside of the pleasure that is progressive rock will continue to lord our superiority over others.

— john warner, chicagotribune.com, "2017's best books thus far, from tearjerkers to titles Rahm should read," 12 July 2017
The color coding — identifying superiority and privilege — was quickly copied by aspirants.

— ariana marsh, Teen Vogue, "High Heeled Shoes Were Originally Created For Men," 12 July 2017
Griffins repeat Grossmont College won the Chet DeVore Award for athletic superiority in the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference in the 2016-17 school year.

— john maffei, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Notebook: Littleton strikes gold in 3-on-3 hoops," 10 July 2017

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.