Meanings
plural superpredators
- human sciencesA youth who repeatedly commits violent crimes, said to be a result of being raised without morals.
Superpredators theoretically arise from dysfunctional homes, inadequate schools, and morally bankrupt communities.
2005, Gus Martin, Juvenile justice: process and systems1 more example
In 1996 [DiIulio] authored an incendiary warning of a "rising tide of juvenile superpredators" [and in the National Review] "[a]ll that's left of the black community in […] urban America is deviant, delinquent, and criminal adults[.]"
2001 February 9, Vincent Schiraldi, “DiIulio needs more scrutiny”, in Star News
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA predator that eats other predators.
Origin
From super- + predator. Sociology sense coined by American political scientist John DiIulio in 1995.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Polish superdrapieżnik
- superdrapieżnika predator that eats other predators
Spanish superdepredador
- superdepredadora predator that eats other predators
Cite this entry
superpredator. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/superpredator
“superpredator.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/superpredator. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “superpredator,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/superpredator.
Source: superpredator on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.