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
The Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, DC, has removed a priest as an exorcist and cut ties with the priest's nonprofit organization over comments the priest made about UFOs and demons.
—
Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 4 June 2026
The Bosch follower panel, titled Hell, was packed with the strange creatures, demons, and punishments that made the artist famous.
—Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 3 June 2026
Frederik Andersen is leading the way for the Hurricanes while battling playoff demons and tragedy.
—Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 2 June 2026
In many ways, Rue’s fate had long been sealed, thanks to both her own personal demons and her tense spot between DEA agents and the crime boss Alamo (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje).
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 1 June 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
Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 4 June 2026
The Bosch follower panel, titled Hell, was packed with the strange creatures, demons, and punishments that made the artist famous.
—Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 3 June 2026
Frederik Andersen is leading the way for the Hurricanes while battling playoff demons and tragedy.
—Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 2 June 2026
In many ways, Rue’s fate had long been sealed, thanks to both her own personal demons and her tense spot between DEA agents and the crime boss Alamo (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje).
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 1 June 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
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
-
Madonna has made music through various calamities that at the time felt world-ending — wars, political unrest, financial collapse — so the terrors of 2026 don’t seem to faze her.—
Scottie Andrew,
CNN Money,
2 June 2026
-
The night is dark and full of terrors, but our Instagram account is full of House of the Dragon.—
Tiffany Kelly,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 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
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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
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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
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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
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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
-
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 5 Jun. 2026.
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