superpredator
|su-per-pred-a-tor|
🇺🇸
/ˌsuːpərˈprɛdətər/
🇬🇧
/ˌsuːpəˈprɛdətə/
extreme / top predator
Etymology
'superpredator' is a modern English compound formed from the prefix 'super-' (from Latin 'super', meaning 'above' or 'over') and 'predator' (from Latin 'praedator', meaning 'plunderer' or 'one who preys'). The compound was coined in contemporary usage and gained prominence in the 1990s.
'super-' comes from Latin 'super'. 'Predator' developed from Late Latin 'praedator' (from 'praedari', 'to plunder'), into Old French and then Middle English as 'predatour'/'predator'. The specific compound 'superpredator' emerged in modern English and was popularized in criminological and political writing in the 1990s (notably by John J. DiIulio Jr.'s 1995 usage).
The term was initially used to describe a feared, supposedly remorseless class of juvenile offenders; over time its use has been criticized and its meaning has shifted or broadened—often used figuratively for extremely dominant predators or as a contested, politically charged label.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a term (mostly used in criminology and political discourse) for a supposed new generation of remorseless, violent juvenile offenders; popularized in the 1990s and often criticized as a moral panic or racially charged label.
In the 1990s, some commentators warned of a rising number of superpredators among urban youth.
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Noun 2
an extremely powerful or dominant predator at the very top of a food chain (used in ecological contexts or figuratively).
In some island ecosystems, an introduced species can become a superpredator that disrupts native populations.
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Last updated: 2026/01/08 05:17