goblin

noun

gob·​lin ˈgä-blən 

: an ugly or grotesque sprite that is usually mischievous and sometimes evil and malicious

Synonyms

• brownie
• dwarf
• elf
• faerie
• faery
• fairy
• fay
• gnome
• gremlin
• hobgoblin
• kobold
• leprechaun
• pixie
• pixy
• puck
• sprite
• troll

Examples of goblin in a Sentence

dressed up the toddlers like goblins for Halloween

Recent Examples on the Web

My dad’s Welsh and among my happiest memories of him are going through Brian Froud’s books about fairies, goblins and trolls. —Alex Ritman, Variety, 24 Jan. 2025

While recent albums from Dua Lipa, Grande and Lorde treated self-care and introspection as a kind of therapeutic salvation, Charli shifted hard into goblin mode, unfurling a litany of barely euphemistic drug references and proudly owning her messiest contradictions. —Lindsay Zoladz, New York Times, 26 Dec. 2024

At the 2023 Primetime Emmys, Season 15 competitor Princess Poppy turned heads as a green goblin. —Lawrence Yee, People.com, 13 Dec. 2024

Add picks with demon and goblin emojis that indicate non-standard payouts of up to 100x your initial entry. —Tim Van Straten, Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English gobelin, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin gobelinus, ultimately from Greek kobalos rogue

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

goblin

noun

gob·​lin ˈgäb-lən 

: an ugly, evil, or mischievous elf