Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

1

super

play
adjective su·per \ˈsü-pər\

Definition of super

  1. 1a :  of high grade or qualityb —used as a generalized term of approval a super cook

  2. 2 :  very large or powerful a super atomic bomb

  3. 3 :  exhibiting the characteristics of its type to an extreme or excessive degree super secrecy

See super defined for English-language learners

See super defined for kids

From the M-W Editors

alt-594d2b6325245
'Pride': The Word That Went From Vice to Strength
image599301899
Pretty in 'Pink'
istock-refers-to-this-as-a-tumble-of-strawberries-which-sounded-pretty-nice-to-us
June 2017 Words of the Day Quiz
decimate-video
Is it wrong to use 'decimate' to mean 'destroy'?

Examples of super in a Sentence

  1. We had a super time.

  2. “Yes, I'd love to come.” “Super! I'll see you later.”

Origin and Etymology of super

super-


First Known Use: 1842

super Synonyms

Synonyms
astronomical (also astronomic), Brobdingnagian, bumper, colossal, cosmic (also cosmical), cyclopean, elephantine, enormous, galactic, gargantuan, giant, gigantesque, gigantic, grand, herculean, heroic (also heroical), Himalayan, humongous (also humungous), immense, jumbo, king-size (or king-sized), leviathan, mammoth, massive, mega, mighty, monster, monstrous, monumental, mountainous, oceanic, pharaonic, planetary, prodigious, huge, super-duper, supersize, supersized, titanic, tremendous, vast, vasty, walloping, whacking, whopping
Antonyms
bantam, bitty, diminutive, infinitesimal, Lilliputian, little bitty, micro, microminiature, microscopic (also microscopical), midget, miniature, minuscule, minute, pocket, pygmy, teensy, teensy-weensy, teeny, teeny-weeny, tiny, wee
Related Words
big, bulky, considerable, extensive, good, goodly, great, gross, handsome, hefty, hulking, largish, major, outsize (also outsized), overgrown, oversize (or oversized), sizable (or sizeable), substantial, tidy, voluminous; august, formidable, grandiose, imposing, lofty, majestic; cavernous, monolithic, overwhelming, staggering, stupendous, towering; boundless, immeasurable, infinite
Near Antonyms
little, mini, petite, pint-size (or pint-sized), puny, small, smallish, undersized (also undersize); dinky, dwarfish, half-pint
2

super

noun su·per

Definition of super

  1. 1 [by shortening] a :  supernumerary; especially :  a supernumerary actorb :  superintendent, supervisor; especially :  the superintendent of an apartment building

  2. 2 [short for obsolete superhive] :  a removable upper story of a beehive

  3. 3 [1super] :  a superfine grade or extra large size

  4. 4 [origin unknown] :  a thin loosely woven open-meshed starched cotton fabric used especially for reinforcing books

See super defined for English-language learners

1838

First Known Use of super

1838

3

super

adverb su·per

Definition of super

  1. 1 :  very, extremely a super fast car

  2. 2 :  to an excessive degree

See super defined for English-language learners

Examples of super in a Sentence

  1. my computer is super slow this morning

Origin and Etymology of super

super-


First Known Use: 1946

super Synonyms

Synonyms
achingly, almighty, archly, awful, awfully, badly, beastly, blisteringly, bone, colossally, corking, cracking, damn, damned, dang, deadly, desperately, eminently, enormously, especially, ever, exceedingly (also exceeding), extra, extremely, fabulously, fantastically, far, fiercely, filthy, frightfully, full, greatly, heavily, highly, hugely, immensely, incredibly, intensely, jolly, majorly, mightily, mighty, monstrous [chiefly dialect], mortally, most, much, particularly, passing, rattling, real, really, right, roaring, roaringly, seriously, severely, so, sore, sorely, spanking, specially, stinking, such, very, supremely, surpassingly, terribly, that, thumping, too, unco, uncommonly, vastly, vitally, way, whacking, wicked, wildly
Antonyms
little, negligibly, nominally, slightly, somewhat
Related Words
absolutely, altogether, completely, downright, entirely, flat-out, fully, positively, purely, radically, thoroughly, totally, utterly, wholly; deeply, profoundly; exceptionally, notably, remarkably; considerably, extensively, significantly, substantially; appreciably, discernibly, markedly, noticeably, obviously, palpably, plainly, visibly; abundantly, plentifully; astronomically, grandly, monstrously, monumentally; excessively, obscenely, overmuch; amazingly, astonishingly, staggeringly
Near Antonyms
meagerly, scantily; barely, hardly, just, marginally, minimally, scarcely

super-

prefix su·per

Definition of super-

  1. 1a (1) :  over and above :  higher in quantity, quality, or degree than :  more than superhuman (2) :  in addition :  extra supertaxb (1) :  exceeding or so as to exceed a norm superheat (2) :  in or to an extreme or excessive degree or intensity supersubtlec :  surpassing all or most others of its kind superhighway

  2. 2a :  situated or placed above, on, or at the top of superlunary; specifically :  situated on the dorsal side ofb :  next above or higher supertonic

  3. 3 :  having the (specified) ingredient present in a large or unusually large proportion superphosphate

  4. 4 :  constituting a more inclusive category than that specified superfamily

  5. 5 :  superior in status, title, or position superpower

  1. superabsorbent

  2. superaccurate

  3. superachiever

  4. superactivity

  5. superaddition

  6. superadministrator

  7. superagent

  8. superambitious

  9. superathlete

  10. superbad

  11. superbank

  12. superbillionaire

  13. superbitch

  14. superboard

  15. superbomb

  16. superbomber

  17. superbright

  18. superbureaucrat

  19. supercabinet

  20. supercarrier

  21. supercautious

  22. supercheap

  23. superchic

  24. superchurch

  25. supercivilization

  26. supercivilized

  27. superclean

  28. superclub

  29. supercolossal

  30. supercomfortable

  31. supercompetent

  32. supercompetitive

  33. superconfident

  34. superconglomerate

  35. superconservative

  36. superconvenient

  37. supercop

  38. supercorporation

  39. supercriminal

  40. supercute

  41. superdeluxe

  42. superdiplomat

  43. supereffective

  44. superefficiency

  45. superefficient

  46. superegoist

  47. superelite

  48. supereminence

  49. supereminent

  50. supereminently

  51. superexpensive

  52. superexpress

  53. superfan

  54. superfarm

  55. superfast

  56. superfirm

  57. superflack

  58. supergood

  59. supergovernment

  60. supergrowth

  61. superharden

  62. superheavy

  63. superheroine

  64. superhit

  65. superhot

  66. superhype

  67. superinsulated

  68. superintellectual

  69. superintelligence

  70. superintelligent

  71. superintensity

  72. superjock

  73. superlarge

  74. superlawyer

  75. superlight

  76. superlobbyist

  77. superlong

  78. superloyalist

  79. superluxurious

  80. superluxury

  81. supermacho

  82. supermale

  83. supermasculine

  84. supermassive

  85. supermilitant

  86. supermillionaire

  87. supermind

  88. superminister

  89. supermodern

  90. supernation

  91. supernational

  92. supernutrition

  93. superorganic

  94. superorgasm

  95. superpatriot

  96. superpatriotic

  97. superpatriotism

  98. superperson

  99. superpersonal

  100. superphenomenon

  101. superpimp

  102. superplane

  103. superplayer

  104. superpolite

  105. superport

  106. superpowerful

  107. superpremium

  108. superpro

  109. superprofit

  110. superquality

  111. superrace

  112. superreal

  113. superrealism

  114. superregional

  115. superrich

  116. superroad

  117. superromantic

  118. superromanticism

  119. supersafe

  120. supersale

  121. supersalesman

  122. superscale

  123. superschool

  124. superscout

  125. supersecrecy

  126. supersecret

  127. supersell

  128. superseller

  129. supersensitive

  130. supersensitivity

  131. supersexuality

  132. supersharp

  133. supershow

  134. supersinger

  135. supersize

  136. supersized

  137. supersleuth

  138. superslick

  139. supersmart

  140. supersmooth

  141. supersoft

  142. supersophisticated

  143. superspecial

  144. superspecialist

  145. superspecialization

  146. superspecialized

  147. superspectacle

  148. superspectacular

  149. superspeculation

  150. superspy

  151. superstate

  152. superstation

  153. superstimulate

  154. superstock

  155. superstratum

  156. superstrength

  157. superstrike

  158. superstrong

  159. superstud

  160. supersubtle

  161. supersubtlety

  162. supersurgeon

  163. supersweet

  164. supertanker

  165. superterrific

  166. superthick

  167. superthin

  168. superthriller

  169. supertight

  170. supervirile

  171. supervirtuoso

  172. superwave

  173. superweapon

  174. superwide

  175. superwife

See super- defined for English-language learners

See super- defined for kids

Origin and Etymology of super-

Latin, over, above, in addition, from super over, above, on top of — more at over

SUPER Defined for English Language Learners

super

play
adjective

Definition of super for English Language Learners

  • : extremely good

super

adverb

Definition of super for English Language Learners

  • : very or extremely

super-

prefix

Definition of super- for English Language Learners

  • : bigger, better, or more important than others of the same kind

  • : superior in position or rank

SUPER Defined for Kids

super

play
adjective su·per \ˈsü-pər\

Definition of super for Students

  1. 1 :  very great super strength

  2. 2 :  very good Mrs. Haver said we did a super job. — Judy Blume, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing

super-

prefix su·per

Definition of super- for Students

  1. 1 :  more than superhuman

  2. 2 :  extremely :  very

Learn More about super

  1. See words that rhyme with super Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for super Spanish Central: Translation of super Nglish: Translation of super for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of super for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up super? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

argy-bargy

play

a lively discussion

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. surrogate mother From TMZ to the dictionary.

  2. zealot A fanatical partisan

  3. stonewall to be uncooperative, obstructive, or evasive

  4. scurrilous Containing obscenities, abuse, or slander

  5. depose That word might not mean what you think it means.

SEE ALL

BROWSE DICTIONARY

super

WORD GAMES

Take a 3-minute break and test your skills!

  • istock-refers-to-this-as-a-tumble-of-strawberries-which-sounded-pretty-nice-to-us
  • Which is a synonym of garner?
Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

TAKE THE QUIZ
Add Diction

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

alt-594d2b6325245
'Pride': The Word That Went From Vice to Strength

Do you take pride in Pride?

image599301899
Pink: The Color that Will Change Your Life

From Fuchsia to Baker-Miller Pink

image2144101468
That Sucks Word Alternatives

Your day is the worst. Your vocabulary is the best.

alt-5931949575ca5
'All the Feels,' All the Time

Once more, with 'feels'

Ask the Editors

decimate-video
Is it wrong to use 'decimate' to mean 'destroy'?

Language changes

serial-comma
The Serial Comma

Why don't they call it the Merriam-Webster comma?

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

istock-refers-to-this-as-a-tumble-of-strawberries-which-sounded-pretty-nice-to-us
June 2017 Words of the Day Quiz

Summer's first WOTD quiz.

Take the quiz
alt-5941ad7527c3c
Yearbook Superlatives Quiz

Is that your picture under "Largest Vocabulary"?

Take the quiz
Name That Thing
Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

Take the quiz
Add Diction
Add Diction

Build a chain of words by adding one letter at a time.

Play the game
Examples: super in a Sentence