goblin
noun
a grotesque sprite or elf that is mischievous or malicious toward people.
goblins
-
pluralof goblin.plural
The grammatical form denoting more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
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.
OpenAI said that for the bot’s “nerdy” personality, which was designed to dial up the playful language, mentions of goblins in its GPT-5.4 model increased 3,881% from a previous version.
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
We are in our laboratories playing God with machine networks and not really having updated scientific language to describe the old ghouls and goblins.
From Salon ● Apr. 21, 2024
Everything in his trip to the kingdom of the goblins seemed more like a charming adventure now that he was about to leave.
From "The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge" by M.T. Anderson and Eugene Yelchin
