as in elf
an imaginary being usually having a small human form and magical powers
the metal cobalt gets its name from the medieval Germanic belief that its appearance in silver ore was the handiwork of mischievous, thieving kobolds
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Recent Examples of kobold
But certain kobolds known as drakes may appear as fiery dragons, which can fly through the air like stripes in the sky.
—
Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025
Monster Vault allows the designers to take a crack at some classic creatures like kobolds, goblins, demons and dragons.
—Rob Wieland, Forbes, 18 Sep. 2024
This element takes its name from the German word kobelt, signifying kobolds—gnomes and goblins thought to haunt mines.
—Sanjana Curtis, Scientific American, 4 July 2023
The word cobalt comes from the German word kobold, meaning goblin.
—Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, 18 Aug. 2022
Otherworldly cities modeled on real ones have been a standby of fantasy, from Superman’s Metropolis through China Miéville’s Un Lun Dun to Michael Swanwick’s Babel, with its haints and kobolds, ethnic politics and human ward-heelers.
—Tom Shippey, WSJ, 16 Mar. 2018
Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025
Monster Vault allows the designers to take a crack at some classic creatures like kobolds, goblins, demons and dragons.
—Rob Wieland, Forbes, 18 Sep. 2024
This element takes its name from the German word kobelt, signifying kobolds—gnomes and goblins thought to haunt mines.
—Sanjana Curtis, Scientific American, 4 July 2023
The word cobalt comes from the German word kobold, meaning goblin.
—Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, 18 Aug. 2022
Otherworldly cities modeled on real ones have been a standby of fantasy, from Superman’s Metropolis through China Miéville’s Un Lun Dun to Michael Swanwick’s Babel, with its haints and kobolds, ethnic politics and human ward-heelers.
—Tom Shippey, WSJ, 16 Mar. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kobold
Noun
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The hanging fireplace, seemingly lit by house elves, pairs nicely with the gratis bottles of spirits and Chilean wine.—
Laura Dannen Redman,
Robb Report,
16 Oct. 2025
-
And all these dwarves and elves and humans go, ‘What?—
Elisabeth Garber-Paul,
Rolling Stone,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Her younger sister, meanwhile, was dressed as a purple fairy.—
Ingrid Vasquez,
PEOPLE,
1 Nov. 2025
-
And then Justin came in and sprinkled fairy dust on it all.—
Marissa R. Moss,
Rolling Stone,
23 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
There’s a Redwall vibe to the third installment, as fan-favorite rattkin Fern gets carried away on an impromptu adventure involving a chaos-goblin who holds a bounty tempting enough for all the ne’er-do-wells to try and collect on.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Nov. 2025
-
The electric vehicle company is rolling out a seasonal theme as a part of its software update that's made for ghouls, goblins and things that go bump in the night.—
Charles Singh,
USA Today,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
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After a chance encounter on the road, the cheerful dwarf Zoltan Chivay (Danny Woodburn) combines his crew with Geralt’s.—
Scott Meslow,
Vulture,
30 Oct. 2025
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Additionally, there is Zoltan (Danny Woodburn), the fan-favorite dwarf with some rather thrilling skills, and several others to round out the already expansive cast.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
30 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Kobold.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kobold. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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