Environmental stresses restrict the plants to attain their full genetic potential for growth, development and productivity mainly by causing an imbalance between the generation and metabolism of varied reactive oxygen species (ROS). As a major constituent of the first line of defense, superoxide dismutases (SODs; such as Cu/Zn-SOD, Fe-SOD and Mn-SOD) dismutates superoxide anions (O2•−) into hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and O2 in different cell compartments. SODs act as a signal in various signaling pathways in plants and are involved in various plant developmental processes. This study performed an extensive genome wide analysis of SODs gene family in rice (Oryza sativa L.) and Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana L.). Genome wide analysis revealed 8 and 9 SOD coding genes in O. sativa and A. thaliana genome, respectively. Additionally, domain and phylogenetic analysis classified SOD genes into Cu/Zn-SOD, Mn-SOD and Fe-SOD classes, where chromosomal localization study revealed their distribution on 5 different chromosomes in O. sativa and on all 5 chromosomes in A. thaliana. Notably, only 2 genes were present on segmentally duplicated region in O. sativa, and there was no duplication in A. thaliana. The studies on the expression profile of SODs unveiled their differential expression under major abiotic stresses such as salinity, cold and drought stress, and at developmental (panicle, seed and vegetative) stages. The outcomes of this study can provide clues for dissecting SODs in other plants for their improved abiotic stress tolerance.