variants
or daemons
1
as in ghosts
an evil spirit
only in rare cases is the ancient rite of exorcism performed to cast out a troublesome demon
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in terrors
a source of persistent emotional distress
a man who was finally able to conquer his demons and kick his drug habit
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of demons
For most of her career, Gauff has rarely displayed anything close to a meltdown, rarely appeared to wrestle with the emotional demons that so often undo tennis players.
—
Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 26 May 2026
Logan, Cal and Kayce (Grimes) both have their demons.
—Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 26 May 2026
Even today, the bottle still calls her name sometimes although she’s managed to fight off the demons and stay sober.
—Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 23 May 2026
Recently, believers have moved away from physical explanations entirely, theorizing that aliens might be interdimensional beings, spiritual entities or modern encounters with angels and demons.
—Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
His Joe is a real cynic, with demons in his closet; his rejoinders come from a tough place.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 21 May 2026
But in the early days of the Maniacs, everyone swears that Merchant was a shrieking dervish during shows, exorcising her teenage demons on the stage of every bar in the Rust Belt.
—Dan Kois, Pitchfork, 17 May 2026
That’s an intriguing philosophical swerve for the series that, however late arriving, paves the way for an unexpectedly moving epilogue after God honors Aziraphale and Crowley’s request to remake the universe as a place without gods or demons.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 13 May 2026
Prime Video's fantasy series about angels, demons and good and evil is returning May 13 for what was meant to be a third and final season.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 13 May 2026
Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 26 May 2026
Logan, Cal and Kayce (Grimes) both have their demons.
—Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 26 May 2026
Even today, the bottle still calls her name sometimes although she’s managed to fight off the demons and stay sober.
—Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 23 May 2026
Recently, believers have moved away from physical explanations entirely, theorizing that aliens might be interdimensional beings, spiritual entities or modern encounters with angels and demons.
—Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
His Joe is a real cynic, with demons in his closet; his rejoinders come from a tough place.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 21 May 2026
But in the early days of the Maniacs, everyone swears that Merchant was a shrieking dervish during shows, exorcising her teenage demons on the stage of every bar in the Rust Belt.
—Dan Kois, Pitchfork, 17 May 2026
That’s an intriguing philosophical swerve for the series that, however late arriving, paves the way for an unexpectedly moving epilogue after God honors Aziraphale and Crowley’s request to remake the universe as a place without gods or demons.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 13 May 2026
Prime Video's fantasy series about angels, demons and good and evil is returning May 13 for what was meant to be a third and final season.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 13 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demons
Noun
-
The seven empty chairs in the front row of the audience at the American Poetry Museum had been reserved all along for the ghosts, a space saved for voices not yet present.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 May 2026
-
No more chasing ghosts who never had the budget anyway.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
Noun
-
Svetlana Gannushkina, an 88-year-old human rights defender who lived through the Soviet era, fears a return to its familiar terrors under Putin.—
Anna Nemtsova,
Time,
23 May 2026
-
That show landed in the summer of 2020, right when the country needed a charming, good-hearted antidote to the terrors of COVID lockdown and an impending election.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
16 May 2026
Noun
-
Angels and devils working together to stop Armageddon.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
-
Ash devils can hurl hot embers in all directions and spark new fires, but this one harmlessly dissipated without spreading the blaze further.—
Blanca Begert,
Los Angeles Times,
3 May 2026
Noun
-
So too did Trump spiritual advisor Paula White-Cain, who compared the president’s torments to those of Jesus.—
Pat Beall,
Sun Sentinel,
17 Apr. 2026
-
In the face of such grave concerns, Alyoshka’s torments seem self-indulgent and frustrating, but his problem—whether to leave or stay—is far from insignificant.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
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
-
Now working as a stocker, Ash accidentally unleashes undead ghouls after reading from the Necronomicon, forcing him to take up his chainsaw yet again to save humanity from the Deadites.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
25 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
There’s a running gag about vampires peeing blood at public urinals This marvelously fun shift in tone more than justifies the title change.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
2 June 2026
-
Crucial events morphed into massive set pieces, like Louis hunting down Claudia’s killers by setting their theater on fire, exploding the motorcycles of the vampires who fled the inferno, and eventually bursting out of a manhole to behead Claudia’s main tormenter.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
2 June 2026
Noun
-
The judging panels awarded Silver, Gold, and, for the standouts, Master medals to spirits that meet a very high benchmark for balance, purity, and category character.—
Joseph V Micallef,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
-
This new rye whiskey started its life in Illinois, specifically at Chicago craft distillery Koval, which makes some very… interesting spirits (the Koopers trained there as distillers).—
Jonah Flicker,
Robb Report,
31 May 2026
Noun
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Andy Pages doubled off Phillies reliever Orion Kerkering – a matchup straight out of Philadelphia’s nightmares – and scored on Mookie Betts’ third hit of the night, a single to right field.—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
31 May 2026
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Production designer Danny Vermette created these escape rooms, which align to the dark spirit of director Jonathan Glazer, Tod Browning and, of course, Lynch and Stephen King, the landscape of purgatory-like nightmares.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
28 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Demons.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demons. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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