Meanings
nounsuperhero (plural superheroes)
plural superheroes
- Any fictional crime-fighting character, often with supernatural powers or equipment, in popular children's and fantasy literature; a fictional hero who does great things.
Hobbes: Super heroes wear snow pants? Stupendous Man: When there's snow out, they do!
1990 February 13, Bill Watterson, Calvin & Hobbes (comic) - broadlyA particularly renowned real-world hero, or one who has seemingly impossible abilities.
The power is out but you're watching TV? You must be a superhero.
3 more examples
Thanks for driving out here and towing me out of the ditch. You're a superhero!
Did you know your community has many invisible superheroes? Each day they perform hundreds of amazing feats that make the community a better place in which to live.
1991, Boys' Life, volume 81, number 1, page 42Pull me out of the aircrash / Pull me out of the lake / 'Cause I'm your superhero
1997, “Lucky”, in OK Computer, performed by Radiohead
Synonyms & antonyms
Opposite
Origin
From super- + hero. First attested in 1917.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian супергеро́й
- супергеро́й (supergerój)a fictional crime-fighting character with superpowers
Catalan superheroi
- superheroia fictional crime-fighting character with superpowers
Chinese Mandarin 超級英雄 /超级英雄
- 超級英雄 /超级英雄 (chāojí yīngxióng)a fictional crime-fighting character with superpowers
Czech superhrdina
- superhrdinaa fictional crime-fighting character with superpowers
Danish superhelt
- superhelta fictional crime-fighting character with superpowers
Dutch superheld
- superhelda fictional crime-fighting character with superpowers
Esperanto superheroo
- superherooa fictional crime-fighting character with superpowers
Estonian superkangelane
- superkangelanea fictional crime-fighting character with superpowers
Finnish supersankari
- supersankaria fictional crime-fighting character with superpowers
French super-héros, superhéros
- super-hérosa fictional crime-fighting character with superpowers
- superhérosa fictional crime-fighting character with superpowers
German Superheld
- Superhelda fictional crime-fighting character with superpowers
Greek υπερήρωας
- υπερήρωας (yperíroas)a fictional crime-fighting character with superpowers
Hebrew גִבּוֹר עָל
- גִבּוֹר עָל (gibbór 'al)a fictional crime-fighting character with superpowers
Hindi सुपर हीरो
- सुपर हीरो (supar hīro)a fictional crime-fighting character with superpowers
Hungarian szuperhős
- szuperhősa fictional crime-fighting character with superpowers
Icelandic ofurhetja
- ofurhetjaa fictional crime-fighting character with superpowers
Irish sárlaoch
- sárlaocha fictional crime-fighting character with superpowers
Italian supereroe
- supereroea fictional crime-fighting character with superpowers
Japanese スーパーヒーロー
- スーパーヒーロー (sūpāhīrō)a fictional crime-fighting character with superpowers
Korean 슈퍼히어로
- 슈퍼히어로 (syupeohieoro)a fictional crime-fighting character with superpowers
Latvian supervaronis
- supervaronisa fictional crime-fighting character with superpowers
Lithuanian superherojus
- superherojusa fictional crime-fighting character with superpowers
Malay adiwira
- adiwiraa fictional crime-fighting character with superpowers
Polish superbohater
- superbohatera fictional crime-fighting character with superpowers
Portuguese super-herói
- super-heróia fictional crime-fighting character with superpowers
Romanian supererou
- supereroua fictional crime-fighting character with superpowers
Russian супергеро́й
- супергеро́й (supergerój)a fictional crime-fighting character with superpowers
Spanish superhéroe
- superhéroea fictional crime-fighting character with superpowers
Swahili shujaa wa ajabu, shujaa mkuu
- shujaa wa ajabua fictional crime-fighting character with superpowers
- shujaa mkuua fictional crime-fighting character with superpowers
Swedish superhjälte
- superhjältea fictional crime-fighting character with superpowers
Thai ซูเปอร์ฮีโร่, ยอดมนุษย์
- ซูเปอร์ฮีโร่ (sūpexr̒ḥīrò)a fictional crime-fighting character with superpowers
- ยอดมนุษย์ (yɔ̂ɔt-má-nút)a fictional crime-fighting character with superpowers
Turkish süper kahraman
- süper kahramana fictional crime-fighting character with superpowers
Ukrainian супергеро́й
- супергеро́й (superherój)a fictional crime-fighting character with superpowers
Vietnamese siêu anh hùng
- siêu anh hùnga fictional crime-fighting character with superpowers
Welsh siwpyr-arwr, siwpyr-arwres
- siwpyr-arwra fictional crime-fighting character with superpowers
- siwpyr-arwresa fictional crime-fighting character with superpowers
Cite this entry
APA
superhero. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/superhero
MLA
“superhero.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/superhero. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “superhero,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/superhero.
Source: superhero on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.