supplanter means someone or something that supplants. It carries an Arena rating of 1357, earned across 17 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, supplanter ranks #1,198 of 42,747 for Qualifying, #1,550 of 17,131 for Scariest Words, #3,944 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #4,275 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words.
Why “supplanter” is a great word
One who wrongfully or forcibly takes the place of another. From the Middle English 'supplanten' (to trip up, overthrow), from Anglo-French 'supplanter', from Latin 'supplantare' (to trip up, overthrow), from 'sub-' (under) + 'planta' (sole of the foot). Unlike a 'successor,' who follows by right or design, or a 'usurper,' who violently seizes a throne, the supplanter operates through stealth and leverage, the calculated foot placed in the path. It is the trusted advisor whose whispers hollow out a reputation until the chair lies empty; the younger sibling who, without a shove, occupies the space left by another's difficulty; the creeping vine that, without shattering the wall, patiently replaces the rose. Every hierarchy holds a space for the quiet violence of being eased from one's own life.
Etymology
From supplant + -er.
noun
- Someone or something that supplants.e.g.“Selfishness is indeed the supplanter of God in the soul.” — 1906, James H. McConkey, “Jacob's Struggle”, in China's Millions, page 13:
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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