gremlin

noun

ˈgrem-lən How to pronounce gremlin (audio)
Definition of gremlinnext
as in fairy
an imaginary being usually having a small human form and magical powers during the World Wars, fighter pilots adopted the fanciful notion that gremlins were responsible for mechanical failures on their planes

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of gremlin The only thing that would satisfy the gremlin in me is the ruination of my freedom. — Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 19 Mar. 2026 Don’t let fear of your inner gremlins stop you from self-work to uplevel your life. — Tribune Content Agency, Baltimore Sun, 23 Jan. 2026 Don’t let fear of your inner gremlins stop you from self-work to level up your life. — Magi Helena, Dallas Morning News, 23 Jan. 2026 Not like a law breaker; more like a gremlin. — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 17 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for gremlin
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gremlin
  1. fairy
  2. elf
  3. goblin
  4. dwarf
Noun
  • The countless repetitions give you the most beautiful art form where swans glide, fairies dance and every year a giant nutcracker appears.
    — Chrissie Leong, Los Angeles Times, 31 July 2026
  • Would the scary girls with fairy wings still be hanging around a trust-fund junkie with a tank of nitrous?
    — Claire Howorth, Vanity Fair, 29 July 2026
Definition of fairy
Noun
  • Reading allows children to live in a vibrant world, surrounded by fairies, elves and talking animals, transporting them to places where the impossible becomes real.
    — Michelle Kearney, The Conversation, 7 July 2026
  • Ferrell starred as Buddy in the 2003 Christmas classic, which focused on a human adopted by elves and raised as an elf in the North Pole until one day, as an adult, discovering his true identity.
    — Virginia Chamlee, PEOPLE, 1 July 2026
Definition of elf
Noun
  • Two years ago, the Man City phenom appeared in a 90-second spot for the game that saw him get recruited to storm a castle teeming with goblins, dragons and impish skeletons.
    — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 26 June 2026
  • Follow the babe with the power into Jim Henson’s gloriously weird fantasy wonderland, where goblins sing, doors argue, and David Bowie’s Goblin King serves enough glam-rock charisma to power an entire kingdom.
    — Arushi Jacob, Variety, 24 June 2026
Definition of goblin
Noun
  • Around the dozens of containers that make Toolik the US’s largest research station in the Arctic, musk ox and caribou graze on dwarf birches and fragrant labrador tea, while Arctic ground squirrels pop out of their burrows to survey the tundra.
    — Denise Hruby, Miami Herald, 31 July 2026
  • The two planets, named TOI-791 b and TOI-791 c, orbit an F7-type dwarf star roughly 1,110 light years away in the southern constellation of Volans.
    — Chris Young July 30, Refractor, 30 July 2026
Definition of dwarf

Browse Nearby Words

gregariousness
gremlin
gremlins
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Cite this Entry

“Gremlin.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gremlin. Accessed 8 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on gremlin

Nglish: Translation of gremlin for Spanish Speakers

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