What does superstructure mean?
Superstructure is a formal word for a structure that stands above or is built upon another structure. In architecture and engineering, it can refer to the upper portion of a building, bridge, ship, or similar construction, as distinct from its foundations, supports, or substructure. The term also has an important theoretical use: in Marxist and related approaches to society, the superstructure means the political, legal, cultural, and ideological institutions and ideas that are understood to rest upon an underlying economic base. In this sense, the word contrasts with the economic base and suggests that social institutions are shaped by the economic organization beneath them. Because it can describe both literal construction and the conceptual organization of society, superstructure is useful in writing about architecture, engineering, history, sociology, and political theory. It is more technical and specialized than the everyday word “structure,” and its theoretical sense is especially associated with Marxist analysis.
nounA structure built on or above another underlying structure, especially the upper part of a building or other construction. In social theory, it can also mean the political, economic, cultural, and ideological institutions and ideas understood to rest on an underlying economic base.
- The upper portion of a building or other construction, especially one supported by a lower framework.
- In Marxist and related social theory, the institutions, ideas, and practices understood to rest on an underlying economic base.
"The concrete superstructure rests on foundations sunk deep into the ground."
"The steel superstructure supports the roof and exterior walls of the station."
"The essay examines how institutions and cultural practices form the superstructure of a society."
The standard plural of superstructure.
"The city contains several distinctive superstructures."
A building has a superstructure; Marxist theory gives society one too.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does superstructure come from?
The English word comes through French superstructure, formed from Latin elements meaning “over” or “above” and “structure” or “building.” The underlying Latin verb struere means “to build,” and related English words include structure, substructure, infrastructure, and microstructure. The word was initially used for physical construction and was later applied more broadly to the social and ideological systems associated with an economic base.
Related word forms
How superstructure is actually used
The word is formal and technical. In British English, the final -r is generally not pronounced in the usual citation form; it may be pronounced in some accents.
Easily confused with superstructure
Infrastructure refers to the underlying systems and facilities that support a society or construction, while superstructure usually refers to what is built above or rests upon an underlying structure.
A substructure is the supporting or underlying part beneath a construction, whereas a superstructure is the part built above it.