superior individual; person of excellence
Refers to a person who is outstanding or superior in some respect. Often used in contrast with 劣者 (れっしゃ, inferior person). Somewhat formal or literary.
A superior person should always be humble.
この競技では優者と劣者の差がはっきりと現れた。
In this competition, the difference between the superior and the inferior was clearly evident.
Compound of 優 (ゆう, 'superior') and 者 (しゃ, 'person'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word follows a common pattern for forming nouns describing types of people.