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Recent Examples of incubus
The Devil’s Museum, a satellite of the main collection, has amassed more than 3,000 depictions of demons, evil spirits and incubus from around the world.
—
Joe Yogerst, Forbes.com, 22 Apr. 2025
Your fame sits beside you like an incubus, and people are embarrassed and want to leave the room.
—Candace Bushnell, Vogue, 23 Feb. 2025
This meaning is visualized in Henry Fuseli’s 1781 painting The Nightmare, which shows a woman sleeping peacefully on a couch while a nauseating monster—an incubus—sits portentously on her abdomen, unbeknownst to her.
—Time, 28 Dec. 2022
As Tommy’s experiences in the tunnels of France mark a continued incubus for his character, with visions of being pulled into the mud, the sounding of the bell coincides with his own inner peace.
—Josh St. Clair, Men's Health, 13 June 2022
An incubus is the male variety (and also that band).
—Angie Jones, Glamour, 17 Mar. 2022
Joe Yogerst, Forbes.com, 22 Apr. 2025
Your fame sits beside you like an incubus, and people are embarrassed and want to leave the room.
—Candace Bushnell, Vogue, 23 Feb. 2025
This meaning is visualized in Henry Fuseli’s 1781 painting The Nightmare, which shows a woman sleeping peacefully on a couch while a nauseating monster—an incubus—sits portentously on her abdomen, unbeknownst to her.
—Time, 28 Dec. 2022
As Tommy’s experiences in the tunnels of France mark a continued incubus for his character, with visions of being pulled into the mud, the sounding of the bell coincides with his own inner peace.
—Josh St. Clair, Men's Health, 13 June 2022
An incubus is the male variety (and also that band).
—Angie Jones, Glamour, 17 Mar. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incubus
Noun
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When their biggest demonic enemy (Lee Byung-hun) encourages the formation of an equally popular K-pop boy band aimed at stealing the souls of their fans, the trio has to fight harder than ever to hold the demons at bay while keeping their friendship intact.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
15 Oct. 2025
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His sudden loss is a terrible surprise, but his life was a monument to a drive stronger than the demons that beset genius.—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
15 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
His bronc riders look more like pietàs in mud; his barrel racers scream like banshees on horseback.—
Casey Cep,
New Yorker,
6 Oct. 2025
-
Temperance let loose a banshee wail.—
Charna Flam,
People.com,
25 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Forget goblins and ghouls—being secretly watched and filmed by a stranger is one of my worst fears, especially as a solo female traveler.—
Amelia McBride,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Oct. 2025
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Most recently, the ghoul himself is portrayed by Charlie Hunnam in the third season of the Netflix horror anthology, Monster, but before the English actor took a stab at it, here are four other iconic films or TV series that were inspired by Gein's gruesome crimes.—
Lauren Huff,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Understanding neutrinos’ properties could help explain how how the universe formed, how stars evolve and whether neutrinos, which pass through the Earth and even our bodies like phantoms, are their own antiparticles.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Oct. 2025
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Staff also report hearing phantom singing in the visitors' area and a mysterious spirit rearranging the coins in the gift shop register.—
Paige Moore,
AZCentral.com,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
On his journey, Geralt slices up several soldiers, a giant, ogre-like creature and a ghostly wraith.—
Jordan Moreau,
Variety,
7 Oct. 2025
-
In the footage, Geralt approaches the domain of a wraith and battles the skeletal specter, culminating in a heart-ripping moment.—
Nick Romano,
Entertainment Weekly,
14 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The mushroom’s healing properties also lead to hallucinations, often involving mysterious white imps, who should be adorable and instead come across as menacing little ghouls.—
Alan Sepinwall,
Rolling Stone,
18 June 2025
-
And Dot — well, Dot keeps an imp in an old wine bottle.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
17 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Adrian Morejon struck out one in 2 1/3 scoreless innings and gave way to the San Diego bogeyman Mason Miller, who cranked it up to 104 mph in a strikeout of Carson Kelly and struck out five in 1 2/3 innings.—
Jon Greenberg,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
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America’s all-purpose bogeyman might be the bomb-throwing rebel, but in truth, disillusionment inspires more violence than ideology.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
2 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The 2024 prize went to Nihon Hidankyo, a grassroots Japanese organization of atomic bomb survivors, at a time when the world was once again confronting the specter of nuclear weapons, amid Russia’s threats during its war in Ukraine.—
Christian Edwards,
CNN Money,
10 Oct. 2025
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The specter of elimination, of the danger and finality of any mistake, hung over everything at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday.—
Charlotte Varnes,
New York Times,
9 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Incubus.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incubus. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.
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