emotional vampire

American  

[ih-moh-shuh-nl vam-pahy^uhr] / ɪˈmoʊ ʃə nl ˈvæm paɪər /

noun

1. a person who is a depressing or debilitating presence in the lives of others because their typical behavior involves judging, criticizing, and manipulating others rather than honoring, affirming, or appreciating them.

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Etymology

Origin of emotional vampire

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

Brown: It’s tough to keep it to a short list but I’ll go with Vanessa Bayer as emotional vampire Evie Russell and, of course, Mark Hamill as Jim the Vampire.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 16, 2024

The histrionic Tanya is, as always, a lot and too much, an emotional vampire who needs people and worships an unrealistic concept of what it means to be adored and cared for.

From Salon • Oct. 30, 2022

And he's somewhat of an emotional vampire as in trying to garner emotional support from you, but neglects to do it himself.

From Salon • Sep. 3, 2022

Just as we’ve all met an energy vampire, we all have been trapped in a friendship with an emotional vampire who seems to feed off our pity.

From Slate • Mar. 26, 2019