How is the word supersede distinct from other similar verbs?
Some common synonyms of supersede are displace, replace, and supplant. While all these words mean "to put out of a usual or proper place or into the place of another," supersede implies replacing a person or thing that has become superannuated, obsolete, or otherwise inferior.
the new edition supersedes all previous ones
When is it sensible to use displace instead of supersede?
The synonyms displace and supersede are sometimes interchangeable, but displace implies an ousting or dislodging.
war had displaced thousands
When can replace be used instead of supersede?
While the synonyms replace and supersede are close in meaning, replace implies a filling of a place once occupied by something lost, destroyed, or no longer usable or adequate.
replaced the broken window
Where would supplant be a reasonable alternative to supersede?
The meanings of supplant and supersede largely overlap; however, supplant implies either a dispossessing or usurping of another's place, possessions, or privileges or an uprooting of something and its replacement with something else.
was abruptly supplanted in her affections by another
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of supersedeOur lives on the shows supersede their own lives, become part of their daily living.—Victoria Edel, People.com, 10 May 2025 January 30, 2025: Federal prosecutors filed a superseding indictment against Combs, expanding the racketeering conspiracy allegations to include two new female victims.—Josh Campbell, CNN Money, 10 May 2025 Last week, prosecutors filed a superseding indictment that added a stalking resulting in death charge.—Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2025 The superseding indictment also allows federal prosecutors to gather more evidence and advance charges further.—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten , Maria Paronich, FOXNews.com, 8 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for supersede
Recent Examples of Synonyms for supersede
replace
Verb
Bills introduced last week would have replaced the RTA with a new entity called the Northern Illinois Transit Authority that would be given broad planning authority.
—
Talia Soglin,
Chicago Tribune,
2 June 2025
There were a few obvious hurdles: Tom Holland, who played Gregory Cromwell, was now too famous, and Bernard Hill, who starred as the Duke of Norfolk, died before production (he was replaced with Timothy Spall).
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