a proud, rebellious archangel, identified with Satan, who fell from heaven.
the planet Venus when appearing as the morning star.
(lowercase) friction match.
the leader of the rebellion of the angels: usually identified with Satan
the planet Venus when it rises as the morning star
before 1000; Middle English, Old English < Latin: morning star, literally, light-bringing, equivalent to lūci- (stem of lūx ) light + -fer -fer
How does lucifer compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
No wonder Dante, the Florence-born author of the “Divine Comedy,” consigned counterfeiters to the eighth circle of hell, “just one rung higher than Lucifer in the ninth.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 12, 2025
Watching Gwendoline Christie play Lucifer Morningstar and Vivienne Acheampong embody The Dreaming’s librarian, Lucienne, ended much of the relatively limited fuss over those choices.
From Salon ● Jul. 3, 2025
Still, we suspect this battle isn’t over; Lucifer is likely to want a rematch in Season 2.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2023
He had the word Lucifer tattooed on his chest.
From New York Times ● May 24, 2023
Mr. Stonecrop held the paper out with both hands, mumbled a moment until he found the right place, and then began to sputter as though great Lucifer himself had provoked him.
From "Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy" by Gary D. Schmidt
When that wind blew, the simplest of devices—from lucifer matches to lantern-slides—would no longer function.
From "Stardust" by Neil Gaiman
We select this illustration of cheapness as a contrast, in relation to price and extent of demand, to the lucifer match.
From Harper's New Monthly Magazine, Volume 1, No. 2, July, 1850. by Various
Besides these there were coils of wire and cord, balls of string, and several boxes of safety and lucifer matches.
From Bevis The Story of a Boy by Jefferies, Richard
The recusants, in anticipation of some such step, had provided themselves with lucifer matches, and, by their aid, re-lit the lamps, and continued the meeting.
From The International Monthly, Volume 5, No. 3, March, 1852 by Various
"Won't the scraping of the lucifer be heard?" inquired Caudel.
From A Marriage at Sea by Russell, W. Clark (William Clark)
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.
