demon

Examples

• All

• We must fight the demon of nationalism at all times and in all places.

  Academic text (1990)

• What did you do to work on those demons that you were facing for so long?

• And most of all, he was willing to face his demons and completely turn his life around.

• Each in his own cell, each in his own pain... suffering his own demons.

  Sleepers (1996)

• The gist of his talk was that everyone ought to fight against his own demons of prejudice.

  Academic text (2001)

• Sometimes he just spit at the world and roared around like a demon in his truck, full of meanness.

  Fiction book (1998)

• After witnessing his cruel actions, everyone began to see him as a true demon in the community.

• Despite his charming smile, he revealed himself to be a demon, treating others with wickedness.

Synonyms

M

monster

vsdemon

• Offensive

407 3.3

A very cruel person who hurts others without pity

is the straightforward label for someone cruel and wicked

D

devil

vsdemon

• Offensive

110 4.4

A cruel person who hurts others or treats them very badly

is the same cruel person sense without any extra distinguishing feature

F

fiend

vsdemon

• Offensive

25 7.3

A person who is very cruel and hurts other people without pity

is similar but framed as a general cruel and wicked person

O

ogre

vsdemon

• Offensive

19 7.4

A very unpleasant or cruel person who frightens others

is about cruelty and wickedness more directly rather than frightfulness

D

daemon

vsdemon

• Literature

9 9.9

A harmful spirit that causes trouble or fear

denotes a cruel, wicked person rather than a supernatural spirit

S

she-devil

vsdemon

• Offensive

6 8.8

A cruel woman who treats people very badly

is the non-gendered description of the same cruel and wicked traits

H

hellhound

vsdemon

• Offensive

2 9.6

A very evil person who hurts and frightens others

is equally negative but stated as a general cruel or wicked person

D

demoness

vsdemon

• Offensive

1 8.6

A woman who is very cruel to other people

is the gender-neutral label for a cruel, wicked, or inhuman person

R

rakshasa

vsdemon

• Offensive

1 9.9

A cruel violent person who acts like a monster

focuses on cruelty and wickedness without emphasizing violence or savagery

D

daimonion

vsdemon

• Literature

1 9.9

A harmful spirit that can take control of people and cause harm

is the human-focused sense of cruelty and wickedness rather than spirit

Antonyms

S

saint

492 3.9

A very holy, kind person often officially declared by the Church

Idioms

L

like a demon

3 7.4

To do something with great energy and effort

R

to run like a demon

• Informal

1 3.9

To move very fast with great energy

D

to dance like a demon

• Informal

7.7

To move your body with wild, strong energy and little control

Compounds

S

speed demon

• Informal

3 6.9

A person who drives very fast, often breaking speed limits

M

Maxwell's demon

• Specialized

1 9.9

An imaginary being that lets fast or slow molecules pass to make one side hotter and the other colder

D

demon-ridden

• Literature

1 9.9

Seeming to be controlled and troubled by evil spirits

M

Maxwell's demon

• Specialized

1 9.9

A small device that measures particles and uses the results to make work from heat

D

demon core

• Specialized

9.9

A small dangerous mass of radioactive metal used in early US tests that caused fatal accidents

D

demon duck of doom

• Informal

9.9

A funny, scary-looking duck figure used in jokes or shows

How Evil

demon

• Offensive

145 5.1

villain

332 3.3

evildoer

13 7.5

wrongdoer

7 4.3

Surface Forms

Etymology