Anansi

American  

[uh-non-see] / əˈnɒn si /

Ananse

noun

1. a mischievous trickster character in folk tales of West Africa and, subsequently, the Caribbean who is both a spider and a man, the son of the creator god Nyame.

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Etymology

Origin of Anansi

First recorded in 1700–10; from Twi ananse “spider,” and the name of a mythological character notable for his cunning and trickery

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Anansi

And they told stories about characters like Br’er Rabbit and Anansi, tricksters who provided models for overcoming powerful oppressors.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 15, 2026

Season two of The Sandman is still expected to be released this year on Netflix, however, as well as Prime Video's series adaptation of Anansi Boys.

From BBC ● Jan. 14, 2025

There are stories there that Mark might have drawn on, and others from beyond its borders: in Anansi stories and Ghanaian folk tales, for example.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 11, 2023

Anansi and Br’er Rabbit get their way through clever dissembling, despite being smaller and physically weaker than their compatriots; conjurers use sorcery and a knowledge of their more literal roots: herbal medicine.

From New York Times ● Nov. 10, 2021

Once again I willed the sand to come to life above the circular door, and I barely had to pull the figure of Anansi into existence before the grooves in the floor blazed to life.

From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia