superior

Everyday

1. Better in quality or more skilled than others: superior goods. tree →
2. Higher in rank or position: a superior officer. tree →
3. Behaving as if you are better than others: a superior smile. tree →
4. Noun: a person of higher rank, like a boss. tree →
5. (science, anatomy) Higher up or above, as in the superior vena cava. tree →
6. Mother Superior: the head of a convent. tree →

In the lessons

In everyday life «superior quality» is used in adverts. In stories a character who acts superior is proud and looks down on others. In the army and work, you obey your superiors. In maths «superior to» is formal for «greater than» or «better than». Lake Superior is one of the Great Lakes.

Examples

• This glue is superior to the cheap one. tree →
• The soldier saluted his superior officer. tree →
• She gave a superior smile and walked off. tree →
• Our team had superior skill and won easily. tree →
• Report problems to your superior. tree →
• Lake Superior is the largest of the Great Lakes. tree →
• The instrument had a superior tone and delighted all who heard it. tree →

Note

Use «superior to», not «superior than». Opposite: inferior. Noun: superiority. Do not be «superior» in the sense of showing off — it is rude.

In Jewish tradition

Interpretation: Sefer Yetzirah's later readers treated the letters of God's name as images of higher angels. This is the commentators' view and not a plain statement of the text. In the primary lessons: In everyday life «superior quality» is used in adverts. In stories a character who acts superior is proud and looks down on others. In the army and work, you obey your superiors. In maths «superior to» is formal for «greater than» or «better than». Lake Superior is one of the Great Lakes.

Examples

• The vowel letters, however, the letters of the Tetra- grammaton, are images and pictures of superior angels. (Mordell, The Origin of Letters and Numerals according to Sefer Yetzirah (1914)) tree →

Note

Use «superior to», not «superior than». Opposite: inferior. Noun: superiority. Do not be «superior» in the sense of showing off — it is rude.