goblin

American  

[gob-lin] / ˈgɒb lɪn /

noun

• goblins
  plural

1. a grotesque sprite or elf that is mischievous or malicious toward people.

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goblin British  

/ ˈɡɒblɪn /

noun

1. (in folklore) a small grotesque supernatural creature, regarded as malevolent towards human beings

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Synonym Usage

Goblin, gnome, gremlin refer to supernatural beings thought to be malevolent to people. Goblins are demons of any size, usually in human or animal form, that are supposed to assail, afflict, and even torture human beings: “Be thou a spirit of health or goblin damn'd, …” (Shakespeare, Hamlet I, iv ). Gnomes are small beings, like ugly little old men, who live in the earth, guarding mines, treasures, etc. They are mysteriously malevolent and terrify human beings by causing dreadful mishaps to occur. Gremlins are thought to disrupt machinery and are active in modern folklore.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• goblins
  plural

Etymology

Origin of goblin

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English gobelin, from Middle French, from Middle High German kobold “goblin”; see kobold

Explanation

In fairy tales, goblins are mischievous, magical creatures. While fairies and gnomes are often portrayed as kind, goblins are usually malicious troublemakers. In the 1500s, a goblin was defined as "a mischievous and ugly fairy" or "a devil." Since then some fictional goblins have been slightly less menacing than that original definition suggests, but these mean little creatures are almost never the heroes of the stories in which they appear. In the Harry Potter books, dangerous goblins control the wizard banks, and the Spiderman films include several malevolent goblins among their antagonists.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

goblin goblins

Until now, every confirmed video or observation of a live goblin shark came only after the animal had been accidentally caught on a fishing line and brought to the surface.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 8, 2026

The rare, and many say ugly, goblin shark is seen alive for the first time.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 12, 2026

Spielberg turned one of science fiction’s grandest ideas — first contact with alien life — into the story of a boy and his weird little space-faring goblin best friend.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2026

“Because ‘helpful minion in a power suit’ was taken, so I evolved into goblin mode,” came the reply, according to another post.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026

“Well”—he rubbed his hands together—“let’s see. There are a few options here. Possession is one. Maybe not by a demon, but by something a little more harmless, like a goblin or imp.”

From "Breadcrumbs" by Anne Ursu

He said he counted more than 20 times it mentioned goblins, without any prompting.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026

It found this system had been unwittingly incentivised to mention goblins, gremlins and other creatures more in metaphors.

From BBC ● Apr. 30, 2026

Apparently, if left to its own devices, OpenAI’s Codex coding agent is apt to repeatedly talk about goblins apropos of nothing.

From Barron's ● Apr. 29, 2026

All around me are homes festooned with terrifying man-made skeletons, goblins, clowns and witches.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2024

Two goblins stood before the inner doors, which were made of silver and which carried the poem warning of dire retribution to potential thieves.

From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling

Related Words

• gnome
• gremlin