demigod

noun demi·god \ ˈde-mē-ˌgäd \

|Updated on: 29 May 2018

Definition of demigod

1 : a mythological being with more power than a mortal but less than a god

2 : a person so outstanding as to seem to approach the divine

the demigods of jazz

See demigod defined for English-language learners

See demigod defined for kids

Recent Examples of demigod from the Web

Musk’s most devoted fans were eager to have fun, too, trading the sobering reality of Tesla’s shaky financial prospects for a chance to worship at the altar of an authentic Silicon Valley demigod.

— maya kosoff, The Hive, "Why Can’t Investors Just Let Elon Musk Have Fun?," 18 May 2018
No-hitters belong to the game’s resident demigods like Clayton Kershaw and Max Scherzer, and to names long forgotten like Bud Smith and Chris Heston.

— jon tayler, SI.com, "Sean Manaea Stuns Everyone by No-Hitting Baseball's Best Team," 22 Apr. 2018
Over the next few weeks, these larvae will shape-shift into ponderous insects, whose males have a can opener for a forehead and a name previously owned by a Roman demigod.

— jason bittel, National Geographic, "Watch a Sausage-Size Insect Transform From Larva to Beetle," 11 May 2018
Most teams, especially ones with glitzy high-round draft picks, are strictly ride or die with their demigod QBs.

— carlos monarrez, Detroit Free Press, "Can Detroit Lions follow Eagles' blueprint and win Super Bowl?," 6 Feb. 2018
Tokyo Olympiad is the masterpiece of the Criterion set, a film that treats its athletes like people rather than demigods, that sees the Games as a spiritual rebirth for the country after World War II.

— david sims, The Atlantic, "One Hundred Years of the Olympics in Film," 23 Feb. 2018
North Korea bans all outside religion, viewing Christianity in particular as a threat to the regime’s personality cult, which elevates the leaders to the status of demigods.

— anna fifield, Washington Post, "While Korean tensions ease, 3 Americans remain ‘prisoners of war’ in the North," 23 Feb. 2018
In Indian scripture, hijra, kinner or third-gender people were regarded as demigods and played an important advisory role in royal palaces in centuries past, while the Koran acknowledges that God created ambiguities in gender.

— kashmira gander, Newsweek, "India’s Only Gay Prince Is Opening His Palace Up as an LGBT Sanctuary," 1 Feb. 2018
Even Chris Hemsworth, who makes a living as a cape-wearing, hammer-wielding demigod, concedes that the image of a modern military leader rolling into battle on horseback makes for a curious spectacle.

— bryan alexander, Detroit Free Press, "‘12 Strong’ celebrates U.S. horse soldiers in Afghanistan," 17 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'demigod.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of demigod

1530

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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Other Mythology and Folklore Terms

elysian, fay, muse, nimbus, phoenix

DEMIGOD Defined for English Language Learners

demigod

noun

Definition of demigod for English Language Learners

: an extremely impressive or important person : a person who seems like a god in some way
: a person in mythology who has some of the powers of a god : a being in mythology who is part god and part human