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Glite Dictionary
supplanter

supplanter

9.9
A person who replaces someone by unfair or illegal means
  • noun
  • /səˈplæntər/
translation icon : usurpador
  • This Jacob is the true supplanter of vices, also called Israel, namely, a man who sees God.

Examples

  • There would be no reason for you to love the social creature that killed and replaced it; it would be more natural to mourn your country and hate its supplanter.

    Blog text (8)

  • Medieval exegetes commonly understood Jacob's biblical epithet, "supplanter," to signify his role in supplanting the devil, Esau.

    Academic text (2006)

  • He arrives as a supplanter to replace stale wisdom with fresh, and begins by rebuking Job's haranguers for their dogma of mechanical tit for tat.

    Academic text (1998)

  • The ambitious executive was seen as a supplanter, eager to take over her boss's position.

  • As a supplanter, he undermined his colleagues to climb the corporate ladder.

  • The revolutionary leader was viewed by many as a supplanter, who aimed to replace the old regime.

Synonyms

usurper
vssupplanter
11 8.6

A person who takes power illegally, often by force

wrongfully replaces another in any role not only positions of authority

How Legitimate

successor
146 3.7
replacement
282 2.0
supplanter
9.9
usurper
11 8.6

Surface Forms

supplanter singular
supplanters plural

Morphology

supplanter = supplant (transparent) = supplant + er

This is a regular agent noun formed from the verb 'supplant' with '-er', so the meaning is straightforwardly recoverable.

Etymology

Supplanter comes from the Latin verb supplantare, built from sup- 'under' and planta 'sole of the foot'. At first it meant to 'trip up' someone by putting a foot under them, so a supplanter is a person who wrongfully 'takes the place' of another.