84068
The title pretty much says it all; I am wondering what are the differences
between those 4 verbs.

From what I've gathered (and I haven't gathered much):

  * **優れる** is used when talking about something that excels, or is better than other things, without directly comparing them. (She is the best in her class. Classical music is better.)

  * **勝る** tends to be used with -に勝る when saying that A surpasses B in something.

  * **秀でる** means that someone excels at doing something.

  * **抜きんでる** doesn't really fit here(?) I list it because it is used in [Goojisho's defninition](https://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/word/%E5%84%AA%E3%82%8C%E3%82%8B/#jn-117967) of 優れる. Apparently it means "to surpass", "to stand out"

Since すぐれる and まさる * can * be both written with either 勝 or 優 I'd also like to
know how often, if at all, you'd write 優る and 勝れる.

Are my interpretations correct?
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2021-02-05T16:48:21.923
84055
2021-02-06T05:24:43.687
40545
question
word-choice nuances
Difference between 勝る, 優れる, 秀でる, and 抜きんでる
Well, I think you have explained most points on your own, so I'm just going to
make good the rest:

**Grammar**

  * X に優れる / X に秀でる "excel in X"  
These verbs only take what field they are good at, and for comparison with
others you have to add ～より or ～に比べて.

  * X に Y で勝る "outperform X in Y"  
This one can have both the target of comparison and the field by default.

  * X に抜きんでる "stand out from X"  
Though it can mark the group where they stand out with に, it is already a very
archaic usage that you usually put any information with more explanatory
phrases only when needed: ～の中で "among", ～の点で "in terms of" etc.

Except 勝る, they mainly describe certain states (adjective-like meanings) which
makes them virtually unable to appear without ～ている as the main verb of
sentence.

**Meaning**

All of them are quite bookish words, that you don't use them in casual
conversation.

優れる and 秀でる are synonyms, but there is a subtle difference that 優れる is more
like "be excellent" and 秀でる "have excellencies", that means unnatural to say
秀でる without "in what" part in the context. For example you can say 優れた人物
"excellent person" but not much *秀でた人物.

優れる and 秀でる assume the quality is something good for the speaker, and 勝る also
tends to have such connotation, but 抜きんでる not necessarily good or bad.
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-02-06T05:24:43.687
84068
2021-02-06T05:24:43.687
7810
84055
answer