variants
or daemon
1
as in ghost
an evil spirit
only in rare cases is the ancient rite of exorcism performed to cast out a troublesome demon
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in torment
a source of persistent emotional distress
a man who was finally able to conquer his demons and kick his drug habit
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of demon
Then finish with the shaggy, colossal coconut gelato sundae or a little demon of a coffee cake, fondant eyes agog.
—
Ligaya Mishan, New York Times, 11 May 2026
Kitana joins our heroes, secretly undermining her adoptive demon father Shao Kahn.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 6 May 2026
Shirokawa, meanwhile, was a demon on defense, recording four assists on routine-to-difficult grounders and an acrobatic layout for a diving catch of a line drive.
—Rick Armstrong, Chicago Tribune, 6 May 2026
The demon’s toot in Dante’s Inferno In canto 21, in some literal circle of hell or other, the poet sees a troop of demons sticking their tongues out as a signal to their head honcho.
—Literary Hub, 4 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for demon
Ligaya Mishan, New York Times, 11 May 2026
Kitana joins our heroes, secretly undermining her adoptive demon father Shao Kahn.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 6 May 2026
Shirokawa, meanwhile, was a demon on defense, recording four assists on routine-to-difficult grounders and an acrobatic layout for a diving catch of a line drive.
—Rick Armstrong, Chicago Tribune, 6 May 2026
The demon’s toot in Dante’s Inferno In canto 21, in some literal circle of hell or other, the poet sees a troop of demons sticking their tongues out as a signal to their head honcho.
—Literary Hub, 4 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for demon
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demon
Noun
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The big hits came from pinch-hitter Troy Johnston, who hit a double to right to score ghost runner Willi Castro, and Jake McCarthy, who drove in Johnston with a single to center.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
9 May 2026
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And what about Ctenocheloides attenboroughi, a living species of ghost shrimp less than an inch long?—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
8 May 2026
Noun
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Her fiction has long been characterized by gruesome imagery and body horror, often sustained by characters whose psychological torment proves even more distressing than their physical conditions.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 May 2026
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Donnie Darko is an odyssey of psychological torment for the movie’s lead character.—
Grace Dean,
Space.com,
2 May 2026
Noun
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At the title track’s video shoot, Michael gives directorial instructions in full ghoul makeup.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
24 Apr. 2026
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Created by a number of its stars, Ghosts originated on the BBC in 2019, following a group of ghouls from different historical periods haunting a country house while sharing the house with its new living occupants.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Maika Monroe may have starred in multiple defining horror films of the last 10-plus years, from her breakout in It Follows to the recent box-office smash Longlegs, but no amount of scream-queen credits could prepare her for the gory terror of Victorian Psycho.—
David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
13 May 2026
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Trump later slapped the state-sponsor of terror designation back on at the start of his second term.—
Rick Jervis,
USA Today,
13 May 2026
Noun
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This is the aforementioned devil’s chair.—
Jaclyn Cosgrove,
Los Angeles Times,
7 May 2026
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And, yes, there is a literal devil in this one, which won’t be a surprise to anyone familiar with LaValle’s novel.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
4 May 2026
Noun
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However, when stars have a binary partner, white dwarfs can spring back to life like cosmic vampires by stripping material off these companion stars.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
12 May 2026
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Like vampire Lucy, the kuntilanak is a selfish creature.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 May 2026
Noun
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On paper, the Pistons are a nightmare matchup for the Knicks.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
9 May 2026
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On sacrificio, Garbán leads the way through an underworld fantasy and nightmare, using the night as a canvas for disruption, chaos, and softness.—
Marcos Sanoja,
Pitchfork,
8 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Demon.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demon. Accessed 15 May. 2026.
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