superiority

English

Alternative forms

• superiourity (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English superiorite, from Old French superiorite, from Medieval Latin superioritas, from Latin superior.

Morphologically superior +‎ -ity.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /sʊˌpɪə(ɹ).iˈɒ.ɹɪ.ti/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɒɹɪti

Noun

superiority (countable and uncountable, plural superiorities)

1. The state of being superior.

   Many US colleges want to achieve superiority in the sport of football.

   • 1941, George Ryley Scott, Phallic Worship: A History of Sex and Sex Rites in Relation to the Religions of All Races from Antiquity to the Present Day, London: T. Werner Laurie, page 15:

     The fact that in most lands the moon was originally a female deity has led many historians to dispute the superiority of the moon over the sun in ancient mythology.

   • 2012 April 15, Phil McNulty, “Tottenham 1-5 Chelsea”, in BBC‎^[1]:

     Chelsea will point to that victory margin as confirmation of their superiority - but Spurs will complain their hopes of turning the game around were damaged fatally by Atkinson's decision.

2. (Scots law, historical) The right which the superior enjoys in the land held by the vassal.

Antonyms

• inferiority

Derived terms

• air superiority
• casualty of superiority
• full-spectrum superiority
• full spectrum superiority
• superiority complex

Related terms

• superior

Translations

the state of being superior

• Azerbaijani: üstünlük (az)
• Belarusian: перава́га f (pjeraváha), старшы́нства n (staršýnstva), старшынство́ n (staršynstvó)
• Bulgarian: превъзхо́дство (bg) n (prevǎzhódstvo)
• Catalan: superioritat f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 優勢 / 优势 (zh) (yōushì), 優越 / 优越 (zh) (yōuyuè)

• Czech: převaha f, nadřazenost (cs) f
• Esperanto: supereco
• Finnish: paremmuus (fi), etevämmyys
• French: supériorité (fr) f
• Galician: superioridade (gl) f
• Georgian: უპირატესობა (uṗiraṭesoba)
• German: Überlegenheit (de) f
• Greek: ανωτερότητα (el) f (anoterótita), υπεροχή (el) f (yperochí)

  Ancient: ὑπεροχή f (huperokhḗ), ὑπερβολή f (huperbolḗ)

• Hungarian: fölény (hu), felsőbbrendűség (hu)
• Ido: supereso (io)
• Irish: ardchéimíocht f

  Old Irish: prímdacht f

• Italian: superiorità (it) f
• Japanese: 高貴 (ja) (こうき, kōki), 上級 (ja) (じょうきゅう, jōkyū), 高級 (ja) (こうきゅう, kōkyū), 優位 (ja) (ゆうい, yūi)
• Latin: superioritas f
• Latvian: pārākums m
• Manx: mainshtyraght f, shareid m, fareid m, ard-chioneys m, laue an eaghtyr f
• Maori: hiranga
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: overlegenhet (no) m or f

• Polish: wyższość (pl) f, przewaga (pl) f
• Portuguese: superioridade (pt) f
• Romanian: superioritate (ro) f
• Russian: превосхо́дство (ru) n (prevosxódstvo), старшинство́ (ru) n (staršinstvó) (seniority)
• Slovak: prevaha f, nadradenosť f
• Spanish: superioridad (es) f
• Swedish: överlägsenhet (sv) f
• Tocharian B: pruccamñe
• Turkish: üstünlük (tr), rüçhan (tr), faikiyet (tr)
• Ukrainian: перева́га f (pereváha), ви́щість f (výščistʹ), старшинство́ n (staršynstvó) (seniority)