Affixes

The model for this combining form is German Übermensch, superman, which dates from the beginning of the twentieth century. From the 1980s, there has been a growing trend for new words to be created using this prefix to suggest a superior version of a given idea or personal type, frequently in a mildly derogatory or tongue-in-cheek way. A few show staying power — überbabe, uberblogger, ubergeek, ubersexual — but most have been invented for a single use or have proved short-lived: überconcept, überchef, übercouple, über-guitarist. As the examples show, the umlaut is frequently omitted.