superordinate

adjective

su·​per·​or·​di·​nate ˌsü-pər-ˈȯr-də-nət 

-ˈȯrd-nət, 

-ˈȯr-də-ˌnāt

: superior in rank, class, or status

Examples of superordinate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Further, recent research suggests that highlighting superordinate goals (shared by everyone in the group) early in the conversation helps teams navigate disagreement later. — Alison Wood Brooks, Harvard Business Review, 17 Aug. 2026

Their vision does not reflect the idea that computing can or should be a superordinate realm of scholarship, on the order of the arts or engineering. — Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 19 Mar. 2024

In addition to eroding public trust in the government, the COVID crisis has made clear that a political system that has been tailored to a single superordinate figure is highly susceptible to disruption, shocks, and arbitrary decision-making. — Yanzhong Huang, Foreign Affairs, 16 Feb. 2023

Decades of research that followed focused on the benefits of superordinate goals (that supersede any particular group’s interests) including goals to fight a common enemy or to create a common identity. — K.n.c., The Economist, 14 Aug. 2019

Word History

Etymology

super- + subordinate

First Known Use

1615, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for superordinate

• coordinate
• inordinate
• ordinate