superstructure

/ˈsupərˌstrʌktʃər/
noun
  1. A structure built on top of something else, especially the part of a building above the ground or the part of a ship above the main deck.
    • Workers added a new superstructure to the ship to house the radar equipment.
    • The superstructure of the skyscraper rose high above the city streets.
    • The bridge's superstructure includes the roadway and the supporting beams above the pillars.
  2. In social theory, the institutions, culture, and ideas that arise from a society's economic base.
    • Changes in the superstructure often follow shifts in the economic foundation.
    • The superstructure of a society includes its religion, art, and political institutions.
    • Marx argued that the legal system is part of the superstructure shaped by the economy.
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