superman
/ˈsupɚmæn/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.02 in modern English
12
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
3
Syllables
8
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
An imagined superior type of human being representing a new stage of human development; an übermensch; (loosely), a man of extraordinary powers.
name
A fictional comic-book superhero with superhuman strength and speed, X-ray vision, and the ability to fly.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
Alternative letter-case form of superman: a man of extraordinary or seemingly superhuman powers.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
A stunt in which the rider releases both hands from the handlebars in mid-air.
Countable; Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "Nietzsche wrote of the coming of the superman."
- "Man does desire an ideal Superman with such energy as he can spare from his nutrition, and has in every age magnified the best living substitute for it he can find."
- "What is the ape to man? A laughing-stock, a thing of shame. And just the same shall man be to the Superman: a laughing-stock, a thing of shame."
- ""Well, what is it that he does that I don't do? Just say the word, - teetotal, vegetarian, aeronaut, theosophist, superman.""
- "Heroes of myths, Titans, demi-gods, Prometheus, who brought fire from heaven; prophets, messiahs and saints of all religions; heroes of fairy tales and epic songs, knights who rescue captive princesses, awake sleeping beauties, vanquish dragons, and fight giants and ogres—all these are images of a superman."
- "Early in Crime and Punishment, Raskolnikov has become obsessed with the notion that he himself is a "superman." Therefore, he thinks, he is not subject to the laws that govern ordinary people."
Etymology
A calque of German Übermensch; super- + man. The German word was introduced by the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900) in his work Also sprach Zarathustra (Thus Spoke Zarathustra, 1883), and rendered in English as superman by Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950) in the play Man and Superman (1903) and by Thomas Common (1850–1919) in his 1909 translation of Nietzsche’s work. The “person of extraordinary powers” sense was reinforced by the DC Comics’ character Superman, who first appeared in Action Comics #1 dated June 1938.
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈsupɚmæn/
- British English: /ˈs(j)uːpəmæn/