superiority

noun

su·​pe·​ri·​or·​i·​ty su̇-ˌpir-ē-ˈȯr-ə-tē How to pronounce superiority (audio)
ˌsü-,
-ˈär-
plural superiorities
: the quality or state of being superior
also : a superior characteristic

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 on the Web That Israel met Hamas’s violence with violence is not remotely surprising, given the Israeli military’s incomparable conventional military superiority to Hamas. Audrey Kurth Cronin, Foreign Affairs, 22 Nov. 2023 For the first time, the U.S. has a robust and quasi-coherent industrial policy designed to protect U.S. business, preserve its technological superiority, and reestablish key domestic industries that were ceded to Asia over the last 20 years. Alan Murray, Fortune, 16 Nov. 2023 Overall, arrogance among Israeli political and security officials convinced them that the country’s military and technological superiority to Hamas would keep the terrorist group in check. Maria Abi-Habib, New York Times, 29 Oct. 2023 His books on the Luftwaffe chronicled the advances in Germany’s warplanes and how Allied air forces eventually overcame the early Nazi superiority in the skies. Brian Murphy, Washington Post, 8 Aug. 2023 This is an all-too-common outcome when people are intent on proving their intellectual and political superiority and immune to cultural, social, and economic differences. Harper's Magazine, 11 Oct. 2023 In the Colonial era, such violence was normalized by anti-Native American sentiment and a sense of racial superiority among Colonists. Christoph Strobel, The Conversation, 3 Oct. 2023 All the victims were Black, and Waters said the shooter left behind messages indicating a belief in white superiority. Dennis Romero, NBC News, 28 Aug. 2023 That same compulsion is widely felt today as more and more American nuclear policy experts grow more uncomfortable with the prospect that American nuclear superiority—a fact largely taken for granted in the post–Cold War decades—may be coming to a close. Ankit Panda, The New Republic, 24 Oct. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'superiority.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of superiority was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near superiority

Cite this Entry

“Superiority.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/superiority. Accessed 7 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

superiority

noun
su·​pe·​ri·​or·​i·​ty su̇-ˌpir-ē-ˈȯr-ət-ē How to pronounce superiority (audio)
-ˈär-
plural superiorities
: the state or fact of being superior

More from Merriam-Webster on superiority

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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