What does superceded mean?
Superceded means that one person or thing has taken the place of another in authority, importance, or practical use, or that something has become obsolete because of a later development. It commonly describes laws replaced by newer laws, plans replaced by revised plans, older products made unnecessary by newer models, and traditions overtaken by changed circumstances. For example, a policy may be described as superceded when a later policy replaces it, while an edition of a book may be superceded by a more recent revision. The word is formal and often implies a recognized change in precedence or validity rather than simple physical replacement. In modern edited English, however, superseded is the overwhelmingly preferred spelling. Superceded is a recognized rare form associated with the variant supercede, but many readers will regard it as a common misspelling, so careful writers should normally use superseded.
verbSuperceded is the past tense and past participle of the rare variant spelling supercede, meaning to replace something in authority, precedence, or use. It is most often encountered as a nonstandard spelling of superseded.
- To replace another person or thing in authority, rank, precedence, or use.
- To make something obsolete, ineffective, or no longer applicable.
"The original instructions were superceded by a revised edition."
"The treaty was superceded by a later agreement."
"Older hardware was superceded as more efficient systems became available."
One letter separates the standard word superseded from its commonly mistaken form superceded: the standard spelling has one d.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Words that share this root
Related word forms
How superceded is actually used
Superseded is the standard spelling in general use. Supercede and its inflected form superceded are recognized rare variant spellings, but superceded is frequently judged a misspelling in edited prose.
Easily confused with superceded
Superseded is the standard modern spelling of the past tense and past participle, while superceded is a rare variant form and is often treated as a misspelling.