1
as in arrogant
having a feeling of superiority that shows itself in an overbearing attitude
that superior sportscaster lets it be known that he thinks all foreign baseball teams are second-rate
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in proud
having or displaying feelings of scorn for what is regarded as beneath oneself
the superior attitude of the store owner's son drove the other employees crazy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in excellent
of the very best kind
a five-star restaurant known for its superior wine list
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in outstanding
standing above others in rank, importance, or achievement
a university known for attracting superior scientists and mathematicians
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of superior
Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 28 May 2026
One of the big questions for the Dolphins’ new regime of general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and coach Jeff Hafley is whether Sieler’s off-field value is equal to, or superior to, his on-field value.
—Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 28 May 2026
Cam Inman, Mercury News, 27 May 2026
The lawsuit alleges Abdulai’s superior laughed at her and took no action.
—Imani Cruzen, Twin Cities, 19 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for superior
Adjective
The series revolves around a United States Army Special Forces veteran, whose Vietnam War experience traumatized him but also gave him superior military skills.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 28 May 2026
One of the big questions for the Dolphins’ new regime of general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and coach Jeff Hafley is whether Sieler’s off-field value is equal to, or superior to, his on-field value.
—Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 28 May 2026
Noun
Time now to forge a united front that can make life tough for NFC West superiors in Seattle and Los Angeles.
—Cam Inman, Mercury News, 27 May 2026
The lawsuit alleges Abdulai’s superior laughed at her and took no action.
—Imani Cruzen, Twin Cities, 19 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for superior
Recent Examples of Synonyms for superior
Adjective
-
The tension between the two boils over into a confrontation which only Eisenhower can adjudicate, a task complicated by his own arrogant British subordinate, a wiry and dislikable General Bernard Montgomery - played with a villainous verve bordering on the pantomime by Damian Lewis.—
Daniel Jonah Wolpert,
NPR,
29 May 2026
-
Public policy decisions always need to strive for middle ground, and those leadership decisions often referred to as arrogant can just as easily be called principled leadership.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
23 May 2026
Adjective
-
His eyes were on her, inviting her to be proud of his verticality.—
Jonathan Franzen,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
-
Popovich will undoubtedly be proud, thrilled and probably not too surprised.—
Jared Weiss,
New York Times,
31 May 2026
Adjective
-
There are beautiful lake-side beaches and excellent trout fishing.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 June 2026
-
The jury, under the excellent presidency of Park Chan-wook, who was both generous and confident, had extremely varied and highly democratic debates.—
Elsa Keslassy,
Variety,
4 June 2026
Adjective
-
Contrary to their sides of years past, this iteration of PSG are physically outstanding — and Luis Enrique rotates his players in the less-demanding and smaller (18 teams to the Premier League’s 20) Ligue 1 to ensure that.—
Liam Tharme,
New York Times,
31 May 2026
-
Two additional outstanding narrator wins followed in 2019 for Our Planet, Netflix’s first-ever nature doc, and in 2020 for the BBC’s Seven Worlds, One Planet.—
Brande Victorian,
HollywoodReporter,
31 May 2026
Noun
-
Assuming, of course, those staffers don’t emulate Pelley and strongly and sharply disagree or challenge their boss in an internal staff meeting.—
Josef Adalian,
Vulture,
3 June 2026
-
The space includes table football, board and video games, and staff can arrange certain special activities of which the parents of the youngsters involved might be more than a little jealous, among them sushi masterclasses with Mitsuru Tsukada, the boss of Izumi.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
Adjective
-
Spurs bigs Tim Duncan and David Robinson were dominant in Ewing’s absence.—
Esfandiar Baraheni,
New York Times,
3 June 2026
-
Boyd continues dominant run Boyd has been a staple in the UIL Texas high school baseball playoffs and is back in the mix in 2026.—
Charles Baggarly,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
3 June 2026
Adjective
-
Most smug articles and books that claim to provide quick fixes come off as tone-deaf or even counterproductive.—
Anna Holmes,
The Atlantic,
27 May 2026
-
But the series’ central character, played by Rachel Weisz, has enough nervous, itchy, manic energy to make the show’s narrative structure feel purposely unstable rather than safely smug.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
4 May 2026
Adjective
-
Wilson has had his most productive Premier League season by some distance, scoring 10 goals – compared to 12 across three previous top-flight campaigns with Fulham combined — and some of them have been superb, too.—
Cerys Jones,
New York Times,
29 May 2026
-
These red carpet-worthy pieces include dramatically draping diamond necklaces, icy diamond and ruby bracelets, superb emerald and diamond jewels and celestial sapphire and diamond rings.—
Kyle Roderick,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Superior.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/superior. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
