superman

[ soo-per-man ]
/ ˈsu pərˌmæn /

noun, plural su·per·men.

a person of extraordinary or superhuman powers.
an ideal superior being conceived by Nietzsche who attains happiness, dominance, and creativity.
a superior being conceived as the product of human evolution.
one who prevails by virtue of being a ruthless egoist of superior strength, cunning, and force of will.

QUIZZES

DO YOU KNOW THIS VOCABULARY FROM "THE HANDMAID'S TALE"?

"The Handmaid's Tale" was required reading for many of us in school. Everyone else has probably watched the very popular and addictive TV show. Do you remember this vocabulary from the book, and do you know what these terms mean?
Question 1 of 10
decorum
the act of or need for making up one's mind.
dignified propriety of behavior, speech, dress, etc.
a company of singers, especially an organized group employed in church service.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of superman

1900–05; super- + man1, translation of German Übermensch

usage note for superman

See -man.

Words nearby superman

superluminal, superlunar, superlunary, supermajority, supermale, superman, supermarket, supermarketer, supermassive, supermassive star, supermax
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for superman

British Dictionary definitions for superman

superman
/ (ˈsuːpəˌmæn) /

noun plural -men

(in the philosophy of Nietzsche) an ideal man who through integrity and creativity would rise above good and evil and who represents the goal of human evolution
any man of apparently superhuman powers
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for superman (1 of 2)

Superman

A seemingly immortal, superhuman comic-strip character created in the late 1930s, who hides his powers beneath the persona of Clark Kent, a mild-mannered newspaper reporter. Only when there is a threat of danger — often to his fellow reporter and secret love, Lois Lane — does Clark transform himself into the caped hero with x-ray vision.

notes for Superman

Superman has been adapted for various radio and television series and a number of highly successful films.

Cultural definitions for superman (2 of 2)

Superman

An ideal of humanity found in Thus Spake Zarathustra, by Friedrich Nietzsche. The Superman, or Overman (the German is Übermensch), is the single goal of all human striving, for which people must be willing to sacrifice all. It is doubtful that Nietzsche thought of the Overman as an individual person.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.