different between superior vs capable

English

Alternative forms

• superiour (British) (obsolete)

Etymology

Middle English, borrowed from Old French superiour, from Latin superior (“higher, upper”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /su??p??.?i.?/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /s??p??.i.?/
• Rhymes: -???i?(?)

Adjective

superior (not comparable)

1. Higher in rank, status, or quality.
   1. Of high standard or quality.
   2. Greater in size or power.
   3. (superior to) Beyond the power or influence of; too great or firm to be subdued or affected by.
   4. Greater or better than average.

      Synonym: extraordinary

2. Courageously or serenely indifferent (as to something painful or disheartening).
3. (typography) Printed in superscript.

4. Located above or out; higher in position.
   1. (botany) (of a calyx) Above the ovary; said of parts of the flower which, although normally below the ovary, adhere to it, and so appear to originate from its upper part.
   2. (botany) (of an ovary) Above and free from the other floral organs.
   3. (botany) Belonging to the part of an axillary flower which is toward the main stem.

      Synonym: posterior

   4. (botany) (of the radicle) Pointing toward the apex of the fruit.

      Synonym: ascending

5. (taxonomy) More comprehensive.

6. Affecting or assuming an air of superiority.

   Synonym: supercilious

7. (astronomy) (of a planet) Closer to the Earth than to the Sun.

Usage notes

• Superior and inferior are generally followed by to; than is sometimes used mistakenly.

Antonyms

• inferior

Coordinate terms

• (dentistry location adjectives) anterior,? apical,? apicocoronal,? axial,? buccal,? buccoapical,? buccocervical,? buccogingival,? buccolabial,? buccolingual,? bucco-occlusal,? buccopalatal,? cervical,? coronal,? coronoapical,? distal,? distoapical,? distobuccal,? distocervical,? distocoronal,? distofacial,? distogingival,? distoincisal,? distolingual,? disto-occlusal,? distoclusal,? distocclusal,? distopalatal,? facial,? gingival,? incisal,? incisocervical,? inferior,? labial,? lingual,? linguobuccal,? linguo-occlusal,? mandibular,? maxillary,? mesial,? mesioapical,? mesiobuccal,? mesiocervical,? mesiocoronal,? mesiodistal,? mesiofacial,? mesioincisal,? mesiogingival,? mesiolingual,? mesio-occlusal,? mesioclusal,? mesiocclusal,? mesiopalatal,? occlusal,? palatal,? posterior,? proximal,? superior,? vestibular ^{(Category: en:Dentistry) [edit]}

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Noun

superior (plural superiors)

1. A person of higher rank or quality, especially a colleague in a higher position.

   Synonym: overling

   1. The senior person in a monastic community.
   2. The head of certain religious institutions and colleges.

      Hyponyms: father superior, mother superior

2. (printing) A superior letter, figure, or symbol.

   Synonym: superscript

3. (Scotland, law, historical) One who has made an original grant of heritable property to a tenant or vassal, on condition of a certain annual payment (feu duty) or of the performance of certain services.

Translations

References

• “superior”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–present.
• “superior”, in Merriam–Webster Online Dictionary, (Please provide a date or year).
• superior in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• superior at OneLook Dictionary Search

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin superior, attested from 1653.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic, Central) IPA^(key): /su.p?.?i?o/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /su.pe.?i?o?/

Adjective

superior (masculine and feminine plural superiors)

1. superior, higher, high

   Antonym: inferior

Related terms

• superioritat

Noun

superior m or f (plural superiors)

1. superior

References

Further reading

• “superior” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “superior” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “superior” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Latin

Etymology

Comparative of superus (“that is above, upper, higher”), from super (“above, over”, preposition) +? -us (adjectival suffix).

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /su?pe.ri.or/, [s???p??i?r]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /su?pe.ri.or/, [su?p???i?r]

Adjective

superior (neuter superius, positive superus); third declension

1. (of place) Higher, upper.
2. (of time or order of succession) Former, past, previous, preceding.
   1. (especially of age, time of life, etc.) Older, elder, senior, more advanced, former.
3. (of strength or success in battle or any contest) Victorious, conquering, stronger, superior.
4. (of quality, condition, number, etc.) Higher, more distinguished, greater, superior.

Inflection

Third-declension comparative adjective.

Descendants

References

• superior in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• superior in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• superior in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré Latin-Français, Hachette
• Carl Meissner; Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book?^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin superior.

Pronunciation

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /su.p???jo?/
• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /su.pe.?i.?o?/
• Hyphenation: su?pe?ri?or

Adjective

superior m or f (plural superiores, comparable)

1. upper, higher
2. better
3. superior

Antonyms

• inferior

Derived terms

• superiormente

Related terms

• superioridade

Noun

superior m (plural superiores, feminine superiora, feminine plural superioras)

1. boss
2. head of a monastery

Further reading

• “superior” in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa.

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French supérieur, Latin superior.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?su.pe.ri?or/

Adjective

superior m or n (feminine singular superioar?, masculine plural superiori, feminine and neuter plural superioare)

1. superior

Declension

Antonyms

• inferior

Related terms

• superioritate

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin superior.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /supe??jo?/, [su.pe??jo?]

Adjective

superior (plural superiores)

1. upper, higher
2. better
3. superior

Derived terms

Noun

superior m (plural superiores, feminine superiora, feminine plural superioras)

1. boss

   Synonyms: jefe, jefa, patrón, patrona

Related terms

• superioridad

Further reading

• “superior” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French capable, from Late Latin cap?bilis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?ke?p?bl?/

Adjective

capable (comparative more capable, superlative most capable)

1. Able and efficient; having the ability needed for a specific task; having the disposition to do something; permitting or being susceptible to something.

2. (obsolete) Of sufficient capacity or size for holding, containing, receiving or taking in; accessible to. Construed with of, for or an infinitive.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:skillful

Antonyms

• incapable

Derived terms

• capability (noun)

Translations

References

• John A. Simpson and Edward S. C. Weiner, editors (1989) , “capable”, in The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press, ?ISBN

Anagrams

• pacable

French

Etymology

From Latin capabilis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ka.pabl/

Adjective

capable (plural capables)

1. able, capable

See also

• cap'

Further reading

• “capable” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).