superpower

noun

su·​per·​pow·​er ˈsü-pər-ˌpau̇(-ə)r 

1

: excessive or superior power

2

a

: an extremely powerful nation

specifically : one of a very few dominant states in an era when the world is divided politically into these states and their satellites

b

: an international governing body able to enforce its will upon the most powerful states

c

: an extremely powerful company, organization, etc.

The retailer hoped to become a financial services superpower …

—Patricia Sellers

3

: a power or ability (such as the ability to become invisible or to fly) of the kind possessed by superheroes : a superhuman power

The Fantastic Four first appeared in November 1961, originating with four friends who journeyed to space to thwart the Russians from getting there first. They were overwhelmed by a menacing radiation cloud and their molecular structure was altered, giving each of them superpowers.

—Laura Mattoon D'Amore

The superpower I've always wished for is invisibility, and I chose my vocation accordingly. A novelist gets 140,000 words per one tiny author photo. That's a visibility ratio I can live with.

—Barbara Kingsolver

superpowered

ˈsü-pər-ˌpau̇(-ə)rd 

adjective

Examples of superpower in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This inherent skepticism among young Americans can become a superpower in the right context. —Marcie Merriman, Fortune, 22 Apr. 2024

The show, about a comic book hero, Captain Justice (Lester), who crosses over from the fictional world to fight crime in the real world, only to discover he’s lost his superpowers, aired seven episodes in 1997. —Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Apr. 2024

Set in a village in Kerala, the film follows a tailor with dreams of emigrating to the U.S. and a social outcast who simultaneously get superpowers when struck by lightning (minnal means lightning in Malayalam) with the former using them for good and the latter for evil. —Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 21 Apr. 2024

Parents can turbocharge this superpower from the moment their infant is born by taking a few easy steps. —Giselle E. Navarro-Cruz, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2024

China has become a superpower, with an economy more than five times as large as the United Kingdom’s. —David Lammy, Foreign Affairs, 17 Apr. 2024

The pilot episode involved an eclipse that seemingly triggers the superpowers of the show's characters. —Julie Hinds, Detroit Free Press, 31 Mar. 2024

Don’t Go It Alone In the zeal to adapt, don't forsake the superpower that makes humans more effective than any machine: our ability to work and thrive in community. —Ann Kowal Smith, Forbes, 30 Mar. 2024

Now Mexico’s an agricultural superpower, too A shortage of Mexican farmworkers might seem startling — like Italy running out of pizza chefs, or Colombia lacking coffee producers. —Mary Beth Sheridan, Washington Post, 23 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1849, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

superpower

noun

su·​per·​pow·​er ˈsü-pər-ˌpau̇(-ə)r 

: an extremely powerful nation