superman

noun

su·​per·​man ˈsü-pər-ˌman How to pronounce superman (audio)
1
: a superior man that according to Nietzsche has learned to forgo fleeting pleasures and attain happiness and dominance through the exercise of creative power
2
: a person of extraordinary or superhuman power or achievements

Examples of superman in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web American officials had long believed that Soviet military personnel were chiseled supermen. Clay Risen, New York Times, 18 Nov. 2023 To massively simplify, Nietzsche’s concept of the superman was that technology would allow humans to determine their own fate as the machine would take the place that God had enjoyed before. Paige Hagy, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2023 The superman goes hand-in-hand with the concept of transhumanism embraced by capitalists and technologists—the idea that advanced technology will allow humans to transformatively augment themselves and their environment. Rachel Shin, Fortune, 13 Aug. 2023 For example, that everyone will wish to have children who are Nordic superman and the like. Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 6 Aug. 2011 The superman hold exercise is an excellent one to place at the top of any workout. Cori Ritchey, Men's Health, 30 June 2023 All the bloodshed served no real political purpose; its ultimate virtue lay in making men into supermen. Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 26 June 2023 The metaverse, the superman, the private vessel of trillionaire intergalactic escape, the ark on the dark sea of ice melt: To abandon a real and present life for a hypothetical new one means giving up on everything else in the hopes of saving oneself. Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 21 Oct. 2021 But in Jünger’s vision—outlined in his 1932 treatise, The Worker—Germany’s soldiers and workers would join into a single mass of supermen to stave off the coming empire of commercial society. Thomas Meaney, Harper’s Magazine , 16 Feb. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'superman.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

translation of German Übermensch, from über over, super- + Mensch man

First Known Use

1894, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of superman was in 1894

Dictionary Entries Near superman

Cite this Entry

“Superman.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/superman. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

superman

noun
su·​per·​man ˈsü-pər-ˌman How to pronounce superman (audio)
: a person with extraordinary or superhuman power

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