goblin

[ gob-lin ]

See synonyms for goblin on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

Origin of goblin

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

synonym study For goblin

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.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use goblin in a sentence

Perhaps lording over goblins is the right description after all.
All Hail Shingy, AOL’s Goblin King | James Poulos | November 19, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Yet most people outside that little circle still believe in witches and ghosts and goblins, and are very pagan-minded.
Inside 'Sons of Anarchy's' Final Season: Creator Kurt Sutter on the Most Brutal Season Yet | Annaliza Savage | September 10, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
It was weird, but not as weird as the goblins, ghosts, and other stock fiction figures mixing with the masses on the street.
How Military Veterans Led Sandy Volunteer Efforts | Peter Meijer | October 28, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
You can substitute fairies and goblins, with the stars, the galaxies, and looking down a microscope.
Rediscovering Richard Dawkins: An Interview | J.P. O’Malley | September 23, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
He even aids the group by distracting a herd of goblins on their tail (a scene dreamed up by Jackson).
‘The Hobbit’: 19 Changes from J.R.R. Tolkien’s Novel to Peter Jackson’s Movie | Anna Klassen | December 14, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST

Ourrias is carried to the bottom of the river by the goblins and spirits that come out and hover over it at night.
Frdric Mistral | Charles Alfred Downer
Little dark-colored goblins, with a will-o'-the-wisp in their caps, danced about the room.
Rudy and Babette | Hans Christian Andersen
At any graft, no matter what,Your merry goblins soon stravag: Booze and the blowens cop the lot.
The Book of Humorous Verse | Various
The night had darkened until, to Teola, shivering and ill, it seemed alive with shadowy goblins which mocked at her.
Tess of the Storm Country | Grace Miller White
The one human thing, with the goblins before me—Alone—in a loneness so ghastly—Alone!
The Ontario Readers: The High School Reader, 1886 | Ministry of Education

British Dictionary definitions for goblin

goblin

/ (ˈɡɒblɪn) /

noun

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

Origin of goblin

C14: from Old French, from Middle High German kobolt; compare cobalt

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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