supremacism; principle of putting something above all else
Used as a suffix-like element in compounds such as 白人至上主義 (white supremacism) or 芸術至上主義 (art for art's sake). Rarely used as a standalone noun.
White supremacism is a discriminatory ideology.
He takes the position of art for art's sake.
至上 means 'supreme' or 'paramount' and is used in compounds like 至上命令 (supreme command). 至上主義 adds the sense of an -ism or principle.
Compound of 至上 (supreme, paramount) and 主義 (principle, -ism). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word follows a common pattern for forming -ism terms in modern Japanese.