Frankenstein

[frang-kuhn-stahyn]

noun

1. a person who creates a monster or a destructive agency that cannot be controlled or that brings about the creator's ruin.

2. Also called Frankenstein monster. the monster or destructive agency itself.

Frankenstein

/ ˈfræŋkɪnˌstaɪn /

noun

1. a person who creates something that brings about his ruin

2. Also called: Frankenstein's monster. a thing that destroys its creator

Frankenstein

1. (1818) A novel by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley. The title character, Dr. Victor Frankenstein, makes a manlike monster from parts of cadavers and brings it to life by the power of an electrical charge. Frankenstein's monster is larger than most men and fantastically strong.

Frequently the subject of horror films, the monster is usually pictured with an oversized square brow, metal bolts in his neck and forehead, and greenish skin. People often mistakenly refer to the monster, rather than to his creator, as “Frankenstein.”

Other Word Forms

• Frankensteinian adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of Frankenstein¹

First recorded in 1830–40; after a character in Mary Shelley's novel of the same name (1818)

Word History and Origins

Origin of Frankenstein¹

C19: after Baron Frankenstein , who created a destructive monster from parts of corpses in the novel by Mary Shelley (1818)

Example Sentences

Jacob Elordi of “Euphoria” fame will star as Dr. Victor Frankenstein’s monster.

From Los Angeles Times

Jacob Elordi, “Frankenstein” “The ding on Sean Penn is that he’s gotten too self-serious. What a treat to see him channel his righteous energy into ‘One Battle After Another’s’ loathsome, hilarious villain.

From Los Angeles Times

“The first time I walked into his personal recording studio, the first thing I noticed was a huge print of ‘Bride of Frankenstein,’ our 1935 classic, hanging on the wall.

From Los Angeles Times

It was a very much more sweet story, rather than this one, which is much more macabre, sort of inspired by Frankenstein, zombie movies.

From Los Angeles Times

Elordi takes over the telling of his tale, often running counter to the presentational grandiosity that a new “Frankenstein” would seem to require.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• behemoth 
• freak 
• giant 
• whale