supermodel

Etymology

It is formed from English super- + model.^[2][3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

A highly successful fashion model who has become an international celebrity: 1967, in the New York Times.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

The dictionaries date the word variously: Merriam-Webster's Collegiate gives 1977,^[5] Etymonline "by 1978",^[4] and Dictionary.com 1970–75.^[6] Hendrickson rejects the claim, repeated in several sources, that it was coined in 1977 for Margaux Hemingway; following Barry Popik, he notes that it described Naomi Sims in a 1972 issue of Vogue.^[7] Etymonline defines the supermodel as one more widely recognized and better paid than ordinary models.^[4]

Timeline

• 1967 – a highly successful and famous fashion model.^[2][3] Etymonline dates it to 1978, and Merriam-Webster's Collegiate to 1977.^[4][5]
• 1972 – used of Naomi Sims in Vogue.^[7]

Meanings

Noun

1. A very successful, famous and highly paid fashion model, known internationally as a celebrity: She was a supermodel by the age of twenty.^[2][3][8][4]

Related words

• model

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
7. ^ a b Hendrickson, Robert (2008), The Facts on File Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins, 4th ed., New York: Facts on File
8. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins