lycanthrope
Americannoun
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a person affected with lycanthropy.
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a werewolf or alien spirit in the physical form of a bloodthirsty wolf.
noun
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a werewolf
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psychiatry a person who believes that he is a wolf
Etymology
Origin of lycanthrope
1615–25; < Greek lykánthrōpos wolf-man, equivalent to lýk ( os ) wolf + ánthrōpos man
Explanation
You can use the noun lycanthrope as a fancy way to talk about a werewolf or wolfman, or any other kind of mythical human-wolf creature. If your childhood babysitter liked to tell you bedtime tales about a lycanthrope, it means she was fond of werewolf stories. The Greek root word is lykanthropos, literally "wolf-man." In the late 1500s, a lycanthrope was a mentally ill person who believed that he was a wolf. Popular myths and stories of humans changing into wolves changed the meaning of lycanthrope to mean an actual monstrous creature.
Vocabulary lists containing lycanthrope
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The Lost Hero
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He also left his fingerprints in the company’s more supernatural side, helping introduce Marvel’s iteration of the iconic vampire Dracula as well as co-creating the original lycanthrope known as Werewolf by Night.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 28, 2026
Anthony Bajon is endearing as the sudden lycanthrope of the title.
From New York Times ● Aug. 20, 2021
It’s just a shame that a hungry lycanthrope puts a crimp in their travel plans.
From The Guardian ● Jul. 11, 2019
But the young lycanthrope begs them not to hurt him; he explains that his mother changes into a wolf every night and runs in the forest with other werewolves.
From Time ● May 27, 2015
None of them probably knew much of Gautier, De Nerval, Borel, le lycanthrope, and the other boys in that boyish movement of 1830.
From Adventures Among Books by Andrew Lang
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
