Meanings
plural superbrats
- derogatoryinformalA bratty superstar, especially one who plays professional sport.
...McEnroe's behavior was so outrageous that the British press dubbed him Superbrat and went at him en masse.
1979, The New Yorker, volume 55, page 1262 more examples
How, she asked herself, could a mature man of such enormous talent sink to the level of behaving like a superbrat?
1990, Una-Mary Parker, Veil of SecretsIn the off-season, the Cardinals looked on like envious children as the superbrats made the multimillion-dollar moves that still define the game...
2006, Buzz Bissinger, Three Nights in August
Origin
From super- + brat. The term came into popular usage around 1979 when the British press branded the young American tennis star John McEnroe "Superbrat", referring to McEnroe's angry responses when a line call went against him.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
superbrat. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/superbrat
“superbrat.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/superbrat. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “superbrat,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/superbrat.
Source: superbrat on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.