superheroine

noun su·per·her·o·ine \ ˌsü-pər-ˈher-ə-wən , -ˈhir-ə-wən , -ˈhe-rə-wən \

Updated on: 14 Apr 2018

Definition of superheroine

plural superheroines

: a female fictional hero having extraordinary or superhuman powers : a female superhero

Change may be around the corner, as Wonder Woman—arguably, the most recognized superheroine of the modern age—finally arrived on the big screen.
—Lauren Chochinov

… women are still waiting—on screen and off—for a place in the comic-book-branded, fanboy-dominated superhero cosmos. This is not to say that there are no superheroines.
—Manohla Dargis and A. O. Scott

also : an exceptionally courageous, skillful, or successful woman or girl

The band celebrates superheroines … like themselves, who go where most women fear.
—Evelyn McDonnell

Rorke is a real-life superheroine in her own way. In 2004 … she won the trade and industry department's Technology for Women in Business Award.
—Rehana Rossouw

Recent Examples of superheroine from the Web

The two Aspen projects include one inspired by Michael Turner’s Fathom, which follows superheroine Aspen Matthews, a marine biologist who embarks on a land-and-sea journey of self-discovery.

— katie krzaczek, Billboard, "Scooter Braun & Marvel Studios' David Maisel Team Up to Form Mythos Studios," 27 Mar. 2018
Assuming several different identities, at times something of a compassionate superheroine, Horacia bides her time among the lower depths, befriending squatters and street people.

— j. hoberman, New York Times, "Lav Diaz and Pedro Costa: Slow Cinema on the Cutting Edge," 23 Feb. 2018
But Black Panther also has an obvious parallel from outside the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Wonder Woman, last year’s standalone film from Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment starring Gal Gadot as the Amazonian superheroine.

— tom huddleston jr., Fortune, "Why Marvel's 'Black Panther' Looks Like This Year's 'Wonder Woman'," 16 Feb. 2018
Wonder Woman, the superheroine movie some of us had been waiting for all our lives, became the highest-grossing film ever directed by a woman.

— aimee levitt, Chicago Reader, "Archive Dive / News / Women's Issues From the archive: What we've learned in the year since the last Women's March," 19 Jan. 2018
If the sequel to The Avengers goes as planned, Scarlett Johansson could receive $20 million to reprise her role as the superheroine, Black Widow.

— chanel parks, Woman's Day, "Scarlett Johansson May Break Record as Highest-Paid Actress," 10 July 2012
For her new film Professor Marston and the Wonder Women, director Angela Robinson spoke to the feminist icon about the true story behind the superheroine.

— yohana desta, vanityfair.com, "How Gloria Steinem Saved Wonder Woman," 10 Oct. 2017
Prada’s were especially sleek, sometimes trimmed in red, giving the models a superheroine look.

— steff yotka, Vogue, "Decoding Prada’s Complex Comic Book Women for Spring 2018," 21 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'superheroine.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.