Meanings
übermensch1
Übermensch2
plural Übermenschen · alternative übermensch · alternative ubermensch
- offensiveNietzschean philosophyAn overman (“higher” man) who has overcome (transcended) his (mere) humanity.
1 more example
What does he mean when he speaks of the value of one type of man as greater than that of another? Nietzsche himself has remarked elsewhere that one can never too carefully consider the question “value for what?” And in these terms one might try to explain what he says about the value of certain men. Perhaps he means that the contribution they make to life in general — by their optimism and fearlessness for instance — makes them valuable to us all. Or perhaps he is judging their value by the contribution they make to the future. Are they not a bridge to the superior man who may come in the future — to the Übermensch? Neither suggestion tells the whole story, and the second simply shifts the problem. If the “Overman” or “Superman” is the one who gives some men value, this must be because he has value himself.
1973, Philippa Foot, “Nietzsche: The Revaluation of Values”, in Robert C. Solomon, Garden City, New York, editors, Nietzsche: A Collection of Critical Essays, Anchor Books, →ISBN, pages 162–163Synonyms: overman, superman · Antonyms: untermensch
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAn overman (“higher” man) who has overcome (transcended) his (mere) humanity.
nounA member of the proposed Aryan super race.
Origin
- GermanÜbermensch
- EnglishÜbermensch
Unadapted borrowing from German Übermensch. Piecewise doublet of Superman.
More words from German
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 超人, 超人
- 超人 (chāorén)figure in Nietzschean philosophy
- 超人 (chāorén)figure in Nazi ideology
Czech nadčlověk
- nadčlověkfigure in Nazi ideology
Danish overmenneske
- overmenneskefigure in Nazi ideology
Finnish yli-ihminen
- yli-ihminenfigure in Nazi ideology
French surhomme
- surhommefigure in Nazi ideology
German Übermensch, Übermensch
- Übermenschfigure in Nietzschean philosophy
- Übermenschfigure in Nazi ideology
Greek υπεράνθρωπος
- υπεράνθρωπος (yperánthropos)figure in Nietzschean philosophy
Hindi अतिमानव
- अतिमानव (atimānav)figure in Nietzschean philosophy
Korean 초인
- 초인 (choin)figure in Nazi ideology
Polish nadczłowiek, nadczłowiek
- nadczłowiekfigure in Nietzschean philosophy
- nadczłowiekfigure in Nazi ideology
Portuguese super-homem, super-homem
- super-homemfigure in Nietzschean philosophy
- super-homemfigure in Nazi ideology
Russian сверхчелове́к, сверхчелове́к
- сверхчелове́к (sverxčelovék)figure in Nietzschean philosophy
- сверхчелове́к (sverxčelovék)figure in Nazi ideology
Slovak übermenš, nadčlovek
- übermenšfigure in Nietzschean philosophy
- nadčlovekfigure in Nazi ideology
Spanish superhombre
- superhombrefigure in Nietzschean philosophy
Swedish övermänniska
- övermänniskafigure in Nazi ideology
Ukrainian надлюди́на, надлюди́на
- надлюди́на (nadljudýna)figure in Nietzschean philosophy
- надлюди́на (nadljudýna)figure in Nazi ideology
Vietnamese siêu nhân, siêu nhân
- siêu nhânfigure in Nietzschean philosophy
- siêu nhânfigure in Nazi ideology
Yiddish איבערמענטש
- איבערמענטש (ibermentsh)figure in Nietzschean philosophy
Cite this entry
übermensch. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/%C3%BCbermensch
“übermensch.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/%C3%BCbermensch. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “übermensch,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/%C3%BCbermensch.
Source: übermensch on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.