as in fairy
an imaginary being usually having a small human form and magical powers
elves are often portrayed as rather mischievous
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Recent Examples of elf
As a sign of their whimsical and enigmatic nature, TLEs are called all sorts of fantastical names by scientists—elves, trolls, jets and ghosts, for instance.
—
Sara Hashemi, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 July 2025
However, finding young actors who were not afraid of the dark elf proved challenging during filming.
—Andrea Wurzburger, People.com, 22 June 2025
Using Sindarin, the language Tolkien crafted for the elves, Woolley built the rest of the name.
—Monica Cull, Discover Magazine, 17 June 2025
Security mistook Maxa, my friend from the lobby, for one of our kind, and he was ejected, too, though not before pressing through the crowd to get his photo taken with the dark elf.
—Ava Kofman, New Yorker, 2 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for elf
Sara Hashemi, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 July 2025
However, finding young actors who were not afraid of the dark elf proved challenging during filming.
—Andrea Wurzburger, People.com, 22 June 2025
Using Sindarin, the language Tolkien crafted for the elves, Woolley built the rest of the name.
—Monica Cull, Discover Magazine, 17 June 2025
Security mistook Maxa, my friend from the lobby, for one of our kind, and he was ejected, too, though not before pressing through the crowd to get his photo taken with the dark elf.
—Ava Kofman, New Yorker, 2 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for elf
Recent Examples of Synonyms for elf
Noun
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Monster cats, women with ravenous mouths in the back of their heads, mountain goblins, mermaids with carp bodies, foxes that transform into samurai messengers—the list goes on.—
Katherine Larson
July 16,
Literary Hub,
16 July 2025
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In fact, Bolg is the name of a goblin prince from J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit.—
Margherita Bassi,
Smithsonian Magazine,
20 June 2025
Noun
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Tell me a little bit about the technical side of filming a dwarf and an elf together.—
Devan Coggan,
EW.com,
13 Oct. 2022
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Other new characters include Disa, the first female dwarf ever shown in the Lord of the Rings series.—
Ethan Millman,
Rolling Stone,
22 July 2022
Noun
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For instance, people used to hang iron on their doors at night to keep faeries and demons out of their homes (talismans) and a knock on the door in the middle of the night was to be ignored, for surely some evil spirit was lurking outside.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes,
27 Nov. 2024
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The Unseelie Court is the bastion of malevolent faeries who harm humans for their amusement or to exact revenge.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes,
27 Nov. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Elf.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elf. Accessed 1 Aug. 2025.
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