Superior means better than others in quality, skill, or rank. When someone has superior athletic ability, they're more talented than most other athletes. A superior product works better or lasts longer than competing products. Superior intelligence means someone understands things more quickly or deeply than others typically do.

The word also describes someone who has authority over others in an organization. A military officer is superior to the soldiers under their command. Your teacher's principal is her superior at school. In this sense, a superior (the noun) is the person you report to or answer to.

Superior can sometimes carry an unpleasant tone when it describes an attitude. Someone with a superior attitude acts like they're better than everyone else, looking down on others and treating them dismissively. This kind of superiority is just arrogance dressed up in fancy clothing.

When you encounter superior in your reading, pay attention to whether it's describing genuine excellence, organizational hierarchy, or unpleasant smugness. The context makes all the difference.