Frankenstein
Americannoun
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a person who creates a monster or a destructive agency that cannot be controlled or that brings about the creator's ruin.
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Also called Frankenstein monster. the monster or destructive agency itself.
noun
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a person who creates something that brings about his ruin
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Also called: Frankenstein's monster. a thing that destroys its creator
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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
Etymology
Origin of Frankenstein
First recorded in 1830–40; after a character in Mary Shelley's novel of the same name (1818)
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.
A year prior, the artists collaborated on 1973’s “Flesh for Frankenstein.”
From Los Angeles Times
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk says generative AI risks becoming a "modern day Frankenstein's monster" without proper regulation.
From Barron's
UN rights chief Volker Turk warned Monday that generative AI could become "a modern-day Frankenstein's monster" that could threaten human rights, including to privacy, political participation and free expression.
From Barron's
Human rights could become the "first casualty" as powerful tech giants unleash generative artificial intelligence on the world, the United Nations said Monday, warning that such systems had "Frankenstein" potential.
From Barron's
Christmas, they say, comes once a year, but “once” now lasts for days and weeks and months, as Friday’s inflatable Frankenstein’s monster becomes Monday’s inflatable snowman.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
