different between superior vs leading

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 1

From Middle English ledinge, ledynge, ledand, ledande, ledende, from Old English l?dende, from Proto-Germanic *laidijandz, present participle of Proto-Germanic *laidijan? (“to lead”), equivalent to lead +? -ing. Cognate with German Leitung (“lin, conduit, cable”). More at lead.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?li?d??/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?lid??/
• Rhymes: -i?d??
• Hyphenation: lead?ing

Verb

leading

1. present participle of lead

Adjective

leading (not comparable)

1. Providing guidance or direction.

2. Ranking first.

3. Occurring in advance; preceding.

   Antonyms: following, lagging, trailing

Coordinate terms

• (occurring in advance): concurrent, lagging

Hyponyms

• industry-leading

Derived terms

• leading indicator

Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English leding, ledyng, ledinge, ledunge, equivalent to lead +? -ing.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?li?d??/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?lid??/
• Rhymes: -i?d??
• Hyphenation: lead?ing

Noun

leading (plural leadings)

1. An act by which one is led or guided.

Etymology 3

From Middle English leedynge, equivalent to lead (chemical element) +? -ing.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA^(key): /?l?d??/
• Rhymes: -?d??
• Hyphenation: lead?ing

Noun

leading (uncountable)

1. (typography) Vertical space added between lines; line spacing.

Translations

Further reading

• leading on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• Negidal, adeling, aligned, dealign, dealing, diangle, lagenid, leidang