Nietz ‧ sche, Fried ‧ rich /ˈniːtʃə, ˈfriːdrɪk, -ɪx/ BrE AmE
(1844–1900) a German ↑ philosopher whose most famous books are Thus Spake Zarathustra and The Antichrist . He wrote that ‘God is dead’, meaning that people no longer had to accept the values of the Christian religion. He believed that a new type of person would exist, the ‘Übermensch’ or ↑ superman , who would be free to follow his own moral principles. The idea of the superman was later used incorrectly by the Nazis to support their belief that German people were better than people of other races.
—Nietzschean /ˈniːtʃiən/ adjective