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.
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Nearby words
Usage note
See -man.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples 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
Word Origin and History for superman
superman
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Culture 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.
Note
Superman has been adapted for various radio and television series and a number of highly successful films.
Culture 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.