demon

noun

de·mon | \ ˈdē-mən

variants: or daemon

plural demons

Definition of demon

1a : an evil spirit angels and demons

b : a source or agent of evil, harm, distress, or ruin the demons of drug and alcohol addiction confronting the demons of his childhood

2 usually daemon : an attendant (see attendant entry 2 sense 1) power or spirit : genius

3 usually daemon, mythology : a supernatural being whose nature is intermediate between that of a god and that of a human being

4 : one that has exceptional enthusiasm, drive, or effectiveness a demon for work Doug, putting like a demon, had birdies on the third and sixth …— Fred Tupper

5 daemon : a software program or process that runs in the background A mailer daemon installed on an e-mail system can respond to a piece of incorrectly addressed e-mail by generating an automated message to the sender that the message was undeliverable.— J. D. Biersdorfer

Other Words from demon Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about demon

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Other Words from demon

demonian \ di-ˈmō-nē-ən

\ adjective

demonization \ ˌdē-mə-nə-ˈzā-shən

\ noun

demonize \ ˈdē-mə-ˌnīz

\ transitive verb

Examples of demon in a Sentence

only in rare cases is the ancient rite of exorcism performed to cast out a troublesome demon a man who was finally able to conquer his demons and kick his drug habit

Recent Examples on the Web

There’s still no series that makes fighting demons feel quite so stylish, which makes the return of Devil May Cry — the first entry in the series in more than five years — especially welcome. — Andrew Webster, The Verge, "The 40 games we can’t wait to play in 2019," 26 Dec. 2018 In the shadows, a dragon with a polka-dot tail lashes at the rafters, while blue-faced Tibetan demons grimace, their goggle-eyes yellowed by smoke. — Sophy Roberts, Condé Nast Traveler, "On Your Next Trip to Nepal, Rent the House Sir Edmund Hillary Loved," 20 Dec. 2018 Specifically in season two, the story line was supposed to be that Micheal went from being an immortal demon to a person who not only identified with humans, but adopted human morality as a concept. — Elizabeth Angell, Town & Country, "The Good Place Creator Michael Schur on How He Made Philosophy a Pop Culture Phenomenon," 6 Dec. 2018 Bill Campbell's Ash is extra hammy as the obnoxious chainsaw-for-a-hand anti-hero battling demons while stuck in King Arthur’s court. — Joyce Bautista Ferrari, Marie Claire, "The Best Horror Movies That Aren't Too Scary," 29 Oct. 2018 Once fully extended, move your heels back in toward your butt with slightly more speed, as Saladino demons. — Jenny Mccoy, SELF, "The One Lower-Body Exercise From Blake Lively’s Trainer You Should Add to Your Routine," 25 Sep. 2018 The armies of Good and Evil are assembling and everything appears to be going according to the Divine Plan, aside from a fussy angel and a risk-taking demon who are not too excited about the coming Rapture. — Maude Campbell, Popular Mechanics, "The 2019 Sci-Fi TV Guide," 16 Jan. 2019 Think of the patron who sees a demon and scrambles into a brick wall. — Randy Maniloff, WSJ, "But Your Honor, It Was Halloween!," 30 Oct. 2018 Icelandic volcanic eruptions may also have inspired the figure of the fire demon Surtr. — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, "“Wolf’s jaw” star cluster may have inspired parts of Ragnarök myth," 16 Nov. 2018

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

History and Etymology for demon

Middle English, "evil spirit," borrowed from Late Latin daemōn "evil spirit, pagan deity, idol," going back to Latin, "supernatural being, spirit intermediate between humans and gods," borrowed from Greek daimon-, daímōn "superhuman power, variably evil or beneficent, intervening in human affairs, fate" (Homeric), "personal spirit, bringing luck or ill, that accompanies an individual," "spirit intermediate between humans and gods" (Plato), "evil spirit" (New Testament), probably from dai-, stem of daísthetai "to divide, allocate" + -mōn, deverbal noun and adjective suffix — more at tide entry 1

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