superiorityn.
/suːˌpɪərɪˈɒrᵻti/, /sjuːˌpɪərɪˈɒrᵻti/, /sᵿˌpɪərɪˈɒrᵻti/, /sjᵿˌpɪərɪˈɒrᵻti/, U.S. /səˌpɪriˈɔrədi/ The quality, condition, or state of being superior.
1. Feudal Law (chiefly Scots Law). Now historical.
a. The position or right of a feudal superior (see superior n. 1); the lordship of an estate or land, or the rights which attach to it. Also: an instance of this; a feudal lordship, or the property or estate belonging to it.Feudal superiority was abolished in Scotland in 2004.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > legal right > [noun] > feudal rights > of superior
superiority1393
seigniory1464
1393 in J. Slater Early Scots Texts (Ph.D. thesis, Univ. of Edinb.) (1952) No. 28 Qwat sum euer thai..that makis claime or question in to the superiorite or to the saide lande.
c1476 in W. Fraser Lennox (1874) II. 108 Scho may nocht be ayr to the superiorite, quhilk is apropyrryt euer to the eldest.
a1572 J. Knox Hist. Reformation Scotl. in Wks. (1846) I. 427 The Laird of Restalrig,..to quhome the superioratie of Leyth appertenit.
1678 G. Mackenzie Laws & Customes Scotl. ii. 403 No Lands..but such as belong to him, in whose favours that jurisdiction was granted, either in Property, or Superiority.
1746 Bp. Sherlock Let. 10 June in 10th Rep. Royal Comm. Hist. MSS (1885) App. i. 292 The North Britains are so attached to the usages of their country, so fond of the superiorities, [etc.].
1759 W. Robertson Hist. Scotl. I. iii. 243 His superiorities and jurisdictions extended over many of the northern counties.
1805 R. Forsyth Beauties Scotl. I. 122 The superiority of the Canongate,..and barony of Broughton, were vested in the Earl of Roxburgh. The Town-Council of Edinburgh purchased these superiorities from the earl.
1883 F. H. Groome Ordn. Gaz. Scot. IV. 402/1 Under the superiority of the Baillies of Dochfour, Kingussie is a police burgh.
1935 J. Buchan Men & Deeds iii. i. 114 Some of the money allotted might be used to buy up the disputed feudal superiorities which were a sore point with the clans.
2000 Scotsman (Nexis) 1 July 11 This process of blocking by feudal superiority should not be allowed to happen in a modern day Scotland.
b. Such a position or right as conferring franchise.In the 18th cent. often treated as a commodity to be bought, sold, or bestowed, without the transfer of the property or estate attached to it.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > legal right > [noun] > feudal rights > of superior > as conferring franchise
superiority1766
1766 Scots Mag. Dec. 642/1 The validity of titles to vote upon rights claimed from superiorities belonging to the two noble families, by persons who are known to have no real property in them.
1787 Scots Mag. July 322/1 Your Lordships will see what the law was in 1681.—It is true, superiorities only gave the vote.
1837 J. R. McCulloch Statist. Acct. Brit. Empire II. iv. vi. 352 These nominal vassalships to the Crown or ‘superiorities’, as they were called, soon became matter of traffic,..about the half of these voters possessed merely the superiority—the parchment vote,—without an inch of the ground..for which they were enrolled.
1861 T. E. May Constit. Hist. Eng. I. vi. 295 The county franchise [in Scotland] consisted in ‘superiorities,’ which were bought and sold in the market.
1912 H. W. Meikle Scotl. & Fr. Revol. 9 The franchise was vested, not in the land, but in the superiority. The property was separated from the superiority, and the superiority..was conveyed [etc.].
2007 A. Murdoch Oxf. Compan. Sc. Hist. (Electronic text) at Political system 1832–1918 The larger landowner..could split superiorities to increase his influence and thus overcome independent landowners of more modest means.
2. † b. The superior or ruling class; those in authority. Obsolete. rare.† e. concrete. An area or region governed by a superior (superior n. 3b), or over which someone has superior authority. Obsolete. rare.
a. gen. Higher rank, position, or official status; superior or supreme command; authority as a superior (superior n. 2). Also: an instance of this. Frequently with of, over. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > [noun] > supreme authority
sovereigntyc1374
thronea1382
chiefnessc1420
superiority1449
suzeraintyc1470
sovereignness1532
supremity1536
supremacy1547
monarchy1585
autocracy1659
paramountcy1667
sovranty1667
paramountship1735
sovereignship1817
eminent domain1850
overmastery1901
1449 in T. Rymer Fœdera (1710) XI. 237 (MED) The Right..the whiche oure said Sovereigne Lord hath..to the Superiorite..or directe Domine of the Londe of Scotland.
c1475 Gregory's Chron. in J. Gairdner Hist. Coll. Citizen London (1876) 131 Also that we to oure power shalle do that the corte of the parlyment of Fraunce be..observyd in hys auctoryte and superioryte.
1526 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfection ii. sig. Oiiv None shulde be so hardy..to couet superiorite or to commannde obedience.
1577 R. Holinshed Chron. II. 580/2 Kyng Iohn hadde resigned the superioritie of hys Kyngdome..vnto the Pope.
1583 P. Stubbes Second Pt. Anat. Abuses sig. O3 The apostles..amongst whom was no superiority, inequalitie, or principallitie at all.
1617 F. Moryson Itinerary i. 5 Luneburg..is one of the free Imperiall Cities; but the Duke of Luneburg challengeth a superiority ouer it.
1665 W. Winstanley Loyall Martyrol. 103 [Cromwell] having..attained to the Superiority over the Three Kingdomes.
1709 R. Steele Tatler No. 39. ⁋1 Superiority is there given in Proportion to Men's Advancement in Wisdom and Learning.
1793 E. Burke Observ. Conduct Minority in Two Lett. Conduct Domestick Parties (1797) 81 This insolent claim of superiority on their part, and of a sort of vassalage to them on that of other Members.
1889 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. May 689/1 When we consider how unable the Stuarts were to enforce the superiority of the Crown.
1976 Times Lit. Suppl. 4 June 663/5 Professor Hobsbawm equates the superiority of the master in his mill with the tyranny of the paterfamilias.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > [noun] > those in authority
the powers that be1526
superiority1542
authority?1553
they1939
vlast1980
1542 A. Borde Compend. Regyment Helth xii. sig. G.iv A generall commaundement hath ben sent from the superyoryte to the commonalte.
c. In plural. The rights and prerogatives of a superior; superior authority and powers collectively. Now rare (historical in later use).
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > [noun] > superior or predominant
surmouncya1400
overtyc1443
overlaikc1450
owerance1552
superiorities1558
hegemony1567
superordination1619
regnancy1650
uppermost1718
autocracy1774
dominance1823
dominancy1841
society > morality > dueness or propriety > [noun] > right or moral entitlement > a right > special > of a superior
superiorities1558
1558–9 Act 1 Eliz. c. 1 §1 Thauncient Jurisdiccions Aucthoritees Superiorities and Preheminencies.
1581 W. Lambarde Eirenarcha i. x. 62 I do vtterly renounce..all forraine iurisdiction, powers, superiorities and authorities.
1660 H. More Explan. Grand Myst. Godliness v. xvii. 204 Without changing any Temporal Powers and Superiorities.
?1706 E. Hickeringill Priest-craft: 2nd Pt. iv. 40 They..strive to monopolize..the highest Dignities, Superiorities and Authorties.
1795 Trial Thomas Hardy IV. 271 To assume all the power and superiorities, and all the authorities of a Convention of the People.
1917 A. M. Royden in V. Gollancz Making of Women ii. 60 One by one men have relinquished those superiorities and powers which a generation before they believed to be essential.
d. The position or office of superior of a religious community; superiorship. rare.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > church government > monasticism > religious superior > conventual head > [noun] > office of
superiority1706
superiorship1787
1706 Phillips's New World of Words (new ed.) Superiority,..a being Superiour in a Monastery.
1777 W. Dalrymple Trav. Spain & Portugal 112 To exchange the superiority of Alcantara for the archbishopric of Seville.
1918 J. M. Ory Origin of Order of Our Lady of Charity ii. 623 Nothing worthwhile had been recorded concerning the first five years of her superiority.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > rule or government > a or the state > [noun] > state under other specific ruler
protectordom1659
superiority1721
1721 J. Strype Eccl. Memorials II. ii. xxi. 413 The duchy of Milan,..the superiority of Flanders..the kingdom of Navarre.
1838 Hist. Popery xxii. 373 His superiorities in Parma and Placentia formed part of the bribe tendered to the Court of Spain.
3. With to, †of, over, above, etc.; also without construction.
a. The quality, condition, or state of being superior in some respect to, or of having some attribute to a greater degree than, some other person or group; an instance of this. Also: (an) affectation of this; belief in one's own superior condition; superior manner or attitude (cf. superior adj. 9b). Now often with defining word, as moral, intellectual, etc.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > quality of being better or superior > [noun]
advantagea1393
prioritya1425
prerogativec1425
prestance1470
betterness1492
superioritya1500
majority1552
start1569
melioritya1586
precedence1587
superiorship1587
precedency1593
priory1600
preferency1602
preference1603
precession1613
betterhood1615
prestancy1615
eminence1702
superiorness1730
a1500 in R. L. Greene Early Eng. Carols (1935) 273 God at the tym of Adams creacyon Gaue man superiorite of them [sc. women] in euery tyd.
1581 Earl of Arundel Callophisus (single sheet) The superioritie of his Mistresse in woorthynesse.
1685 tr. B. Gracián y Morales Courtiers Oracle 163 He that familiarizes himself, presently loses the Superiority that his serious air gave him.
1708 J. Addison Present State War 24 It would be loss of Time to explain any further our Superiority to the Enemy in Numbers of Men and Horse.
1736 Bp. J. Butler Analogy of Relig. i. iii. 60 Rational Animals have not necessarily the Superiority over irrational ones.
1794 A. Radcliffe Myst. of Udolpho I. xiii. 325 Signor Montoni had an air of conscious superiority, animated by spirit, and strengthened by talents.
1839 G. P. R. James Louis XIV III. 247 That nation..made vast efforts to obtain a superiority at sea.
1856 R. W. Emerson Eng. Traits xi. 176 All nobility in its beginnings was somebody's natural superiority.
1865 M. Arnold Ess. Crit. vi. 188 A land where every one has some culture and where superiorities are discountenanced.
1883 M. B. Betham-Edwards Disarmed i. 7 He tries to crush me with his superiority. But I am his match with the tongue.
1929 Travel Nov. 50/1 They underwent that rite which..gave them a sense of superiority over their unenlightened..fellow-creatures.
1960 J. Barth Sot-weed Factor iii. ix. 616 He had..enjoyed..a feeling of moral superiority to his comrade in consequence of having saved the fellow's life.
1992 New Republic 27 July 4/1 The emergence of a new elite that regards its superiority as objectively proved.
2002 M. Holroyd Wks. on Paper 6 Eternally guarding their self-esteem..by reminding themselves of their intellectual superiority.
b. With reference to a (material or immaterial) thing. The quality or condition of being better than something else, or of being the best of its class or kind; (in absolute sense) excellence, pre-eminence. Also: an instance of this.
ΚΠ
1590 W. Clever Flower of Phisicke 27 Concoction ought to haue a most high superioritie in gathering & preferring the vniuersal corruption of the body.
1638 R. Baker tr. J. L. G. de Balzac New Epist. III. 152 Rather to acknowledge the superioritie of your Eloquence,..than to make my selfe your Competitor.
a1704 T. Brown Ess. Eng. Satyr in Wks. (1707) I. i. 33 Horace and Juvenal..Challenge with Justice a Superiority before all the rest.
1765 Museum Rusticum 4 88 Hence appears the great superiority of the hoeing culture.
1800 Hull Advertiser 31 May 2/2 The superiority of coal to vegetable tar.
1860 in J. H. A. Bomberger Protestant Theol. & Eccl. Encycl. I. 406/2 Instead of..exclusive authority, there is claimed for it only..a superiority to other text systems.
1872 Jrnl. Soc. Arts 22 748/1 The present superiority of German wines.
1941 Illustr. London News 29 Nov. 691/1 The Hawker ‘Hurricane’ is..proving its superiority..as a dive-bomber and ‘tank-buster’.
1954 Bull. Atomic Scientists Oct. 321/1 In this respect, American foreign policy can claim..a superiority over the policy practiced..by some of its European critics.
2008 N.Y. Times Mag. 7 Sept. 50/2 A lot of partisan roostering from Democrats about the superiority of the Clinton over the Bush economy.
4. The condition of being stronger than or prevailing over someone or something; supremacy over a person, nation, etc. Also: dominance over some immaterial force or emotion; the condition of being above, unaffected, or uninfluenced by something (cf. superior adj. 10b). Frequently with to, over.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > prosperity > success > mastery or superiority > [noun]
overhandc1175
masteryc1225
gree1320
betc1330
pricea1350
advantagea1393
overmasterya1400
voicea1400
betterc1405
higherc1450
prevaila1460
superiority1548
mastership1573
prevalence1604
eminence1609
privilegea1616
prevalency1623
upper fortunea1625
whipping-hand1682
whip hand1806
1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VI f. clxxj Studyeng..how to..get the superioritie and ouerhand aboue their euilwillers.
?1553 Respublica (1952) iii. v. 28 Avar. And howe dyd all frame with our mounsire Authorytee? Oppr. Att length he wonne the full superiorytee.
1607 (title) Lingva: or the combat of the tongue, And the fiue senses for superiority.
1611 T. Coryate Crudities sig. 08 These two streetes doe seeme to contend for the superiority, but the first..is the fairest of them.
1653 R. Saunders Physiognomie i. 119 The Table line..prenotes fidelity and superiority over enemies.
1718 Entertainer No. 43. 302 If ever they get the Uppermost, after their long Struggles for Superiority.
1770 J. Langhorne & W. Langhorne tr. Plutarch Lives VI. 130 They lost their superiority in Greece by the ill-fought battle of Leuctra.
a1831 A. Knox Remains (1844) I. 72 His..obvious superiority to the world and the flesh.
1940 ‘G. Orwell’ Inside Whale 172 The..people who..had sniggered over their own superiority to war hysteria.
1988 J. W. M. Chapman in A. H. Ion & B. D. Hunt War & Diplomacy across Pacific 63 The evidence that Germany now appeared to have of Japanese superiority in the Pacific [in 1941].
2000 H. Seymour-Davies A. Lowe's Compan. Guide South of Spain xiv. 229 St Anthony often carries flames to commemorate his superiority to temptation.
Compounds
superiority complex n. originally Psychology an attitude of superiority which conceals actual feelings of inferiority and failure; (hence, in extended and general use) an exaggerated sense of superiority.Cf. inferiority complex n. at inferiority n. Compounds.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > pride > pretension to superiority > [noun]
pensifulnessc1450
affectation1548
affection1570
affectedness1622
lady aira1637
fastuousness1649
gentility1650
fastuosity1656
vapouring1656
flatulency1662
hoity-toity1668
pretendingness1701
with an air1701
pretension1706
flatulence1711
uppishness1716
high and mightiness1771
pensieness1825
fine-gentlemanism1831
pretentiousness1838
ambitiousness1845
stuckupishness1853
pretensiveness1859
notion1866
side1870
dog1871
hoity-toityism1881
superiority complex1921
snootiness1932
uppitiness1935
snottiness1973
snoot1984
swag2002
the world > health and disease > mental health > mental illness > degree or type of mental illness > [noun] > other mental illnesses
neurosis1783
mutism1824
Americanitis1882
lata1884
miryachit1884
negativism1892
obsession1892
ressentiment1896
resentment1899
pseudologia1903
echopraxia1904
complex1907
pseudo-homosexuality1908
regression1910
kleptolagnia1917
sadomasochism1919
poriomania1921
superiority complex1921
martyr complex1926
rejection1931
nemesism1938
acting out1945
catathymia1949
elective mutism1950
psychosyndrome1965
panic attack1966
Munchausen syndrome by proxy1977
Polle syndrome1977
panic disorder1978
chronic factitious disorder1980
bigorexia1985
fabricated or induced illness1994
selective mutism1999
1921 Columbia Law Rev. 21 613 His work would have been more effective..if he had given us..an analysis also of the correlated psychology of those subordinated classes whose ‘inferiority complex’ is as characteristic as the superiority complex of the exploiters.
1926 Amer. Speech 1 321/2 Let those sciences..which are suffering from a superiority complex, marshal an array of such learned expressions as [etc.].
1934 Mod. Psychologist June 17/1 When this anything is smeared over..with a lot of twaddle concerning sexual starvation,..frustration, or inferiority or superiority complexes, the tender-minded neurotic swallows the whole thing.
1945 A. L. Rowse Eng. Spirit xxxiii. 232 The English have a singular faculty for depreciating their great men. (Is it perhaps a form of superiority-complex?)
1979 Nature 11 Oct. 424/2 The Egyptian scientific community does not like or agree with the Israeli superiority complex.
2010 Sunday Times (Nexis) 25 Apr. 42 [His] attitude to anyone who disagrees smacks of a prickly superiority complex. He knows best.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2012; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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