Standard Lemma guide

superstructure

noun · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: S UW1 P ER0 S T R AH2 K CH ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Any structure built above the top full deck (FM 55-501).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: nautical, transport

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Any material structure or edifice built on something else; that which is raised on a foundation or basis.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

All that part of a building above the basement.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, figuratively, sometimes, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

The sleepers and fastenings, in distinction from the roadbed.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: UK, countable, uncountable

Qualifier: railroad

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

The social sphere of ideology which includes religion, art, politics, law and all traditional values.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Marxism, countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: base, infrastructure, substructure

6

noun

Meaning 6

structure consisting of the part of a ship above the main deck

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: structure, construction

Narrower terms: deck-house

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *úp Proto-Indo-European *-er Proto-Indo-European *upér Proto-Italic *super Latin super Latin super-lbor. English super- English structure English superstructure From super- + structure.

Across languages

Translations

45 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: надстро́йка (nadstrójka) — nautical: structure above deck
  • Catalan: superestructura — nautical: structure above deck
  • Finnish: ylärakenne — nautical: structure above deck
  • German: Aufbauten — nautical: structure above deck
  • German: Überbau — nautical: structure above deck
  • Hungarian: felépítmény — nautical: structure above deck
  • Macedonian: надградба (nadgradba) — nautical: structure above deck
  • Norwegian Bokmål: overbygg — nautical: structure above deck
  • Norwegian Bokmål: overbygning — nautical: structure above deck
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: overbygg — nautical: structure above deck
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: overbygning — nautical: structure above deck
  • Polish: nadbudowa — nautical: structure above deck
  • Polish: nadbudówka — nautical: structure above deck
  • Portuguese: superestrutura — nautical: structure above deck
  • Russian: надстро́йка (nadstrójka) — nautical: structure above deck
  • Spanish: superestructura — nautical: structure above deck
  • Welsh: goruwchadeilad — nautical: structure above deck
  • Armenian: վերնաշենք (vernašenkʻ) — the social sphere of ideology
  • Azerbaijani: üstqurum — the social sphere of ideology
  • Basque: gainegitura — the social sphere of ideology
  • Bengali: উপরিকাঠামো (uporikaṭhamō) — the social sphere of ideology
  • Catalan: superestructura — the social sphere of ideology
  • Chinese Mandarin: 上層建築 /上层建筑 (shàngcéng jiànzhù) — the social sphere of ideology
  • Czech: nadstavba — the social sphere of ideology
  • Estonian: pealisehitus — the social sphere of ideology
  • Finnish: ylärakenne — the social sphere of ideology
  • French: superstructure — the social sphere of ideology
  • German: Überbau — the social sphere of ideology
  • Hungarian: felépítmény — the social sphere of ideology
  • Indonesian: suprastruktur — the social sphere of ideology
  • Japanese: 上部構造 — the social sphere of ideology
  • Korean: 상부구조 (sangbugujo) — the social sphere of ideology
  • Latin: superstructura — the social sphere of ideology
  • Macedonian: надградба (nadgradba) — the social sphere of ideology
  • Persian: روبنا — the social sphere of ideology
  • Polish: nadbudowa — the social sphere of ideology
  • Portuguese: superestrutura — the social sphere of ideology
  • Punjabi: ਉਸਾਰ (usār) — the social sphere of ideology
  • Russian: надстро́йка (nadstrójka) — the social sphere of ideology
  • Slovak: nadstavba — the social sphere of ideology
  • Spanish: superestructura — the social sphere of ideology
  • Swedish: överbyggnad — the social sphere of ideology
  • Tagalog: superestruktura — the social sphere of ideology
  • Turkish: üstyapı — the social sphere of ideology
  • Vietnamese: kiến trúc thượng tầng — the social sphere of ideology
Real reading context

superstructure in complete knowledge articles