demon
B2Formal/Informal; neutral to literary for supernatural sense; informal for skillful/passionate sense.
Definition
Meaning
An evil supernatural being or spirit; a malevolent force.
A person or thing considered extremely skillful, energetic, or relentless (e.g., 'a demon at chess'); an inner driving force or obsession.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Supernatural sense is literal; skillful/passionate sense is metaphorical and often positive. Can imply admirable intensity.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Usage is largely identical. 'Demon' is the standard spelling in both. The informal sense meaning 'expert' or 'fiend' (e.g., 'speed demon') is slightly more common in AmE.
Connotations
Identical core connotations of evil/supernatural power or intense skill.
Frequency
Slightly higher frequency in AmE due to colloquial phrases like 'demo(n) driver'.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[verb] a demon (summon, fight, confront)a demon [preposition] (demon of jealousy, demon at tennis)demon [noun] (demon hunter)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “like a demon possessed (with great energy)”
- “the demon drink (alcohol personified as destructive)”
- “one's inner demons (personal struggles/psychological issues)”
- “a demon for work/punishment (someone who works/takes punishment relentlessly)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Rare. Metaphorical: 'He's a demon for efficiency,' implying relentless drive.
Academic
Common in religious studies, theology, literature, and psychology ('Freudian demons').
Everyday
Common for metaphorical sense ('She's a demon on the tennis court'). Supernatural sense common in fantasy/horror contexts.
Technical
Used in computing informally ('demo(n) process' – background process, from 'daemon').
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- (Not standard; archaic 'demon' as verb is obsolete. Use 'bedevil' or 'haunt'.)
American English
- (Not standard.)
adverb
British English
- (Not standard. Use 'demoniacally'.) He worked demoniacally through the night.
American English
- (Not standard.) She played demoniacally well.
adjective
British English
- He played with demonic energy.
- She has a demonic focus on details.
American English
- His fastball was demonic.
- She fought her demonic addiction.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The story had a scary demon.
- He runs like a demon!
- She fought the demon in her dream.
- He's a demon when it comes to meeting deadlines.
- The ancient text described a ritual to banish a powerful demon.
- She tackled the complex project with demonic intensity, finishing it in record time.
- He was haunted by his inner demons, the unresolved traumas of his youth.
- A demon for grammatical accuracy, she proofread the manuscript with relentless precision.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
DEmon = DEvil Entity MONster. Think of a 'demon' as a DEVILish MONster.
Conceptual Metaphor
EVIL IS A DEMON (literal); INTENSE SKILL/ENERGY IS A DEMON (metaphorical); PERSONAL PROBLEMS ARE DEMONS (psychological).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not confuse with 'демон' (which is a direct cognate but can have a more neutral 'spirit' connotation in literary contexts, e.g., Lermontov's 'Demon'). English 'demon' is almost exclusively negative or intensely metaphorical. 'Демонстрация' is 'demonstration', unrelated.
Common Mistakes
- Spelling: 'daemon' is an archaic/literary variant or a computing term, not standard modern spelling. Pronunciation: Mispronouncing as /ˈdeɪ.mən/ (like 'day'). It's /ˈdiː.mən/ (long 'ee'). Using 'demon' to mean a regular 'monster' (it implies supernatural evil/intelligence).
Practice
Quiz
In which context is 'demon' used positively?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
In its literal supernatural sense, yes, it is an evil spirit. In its metaphorical sense ('a demon at chess'), it is positive, implying impressive skill or energy.
A 'devil' (often 'the Devil') is typically the supreme personification of evil in Christian theology. A 'demon' is a lesser evil spirit, a minion or agent of the devil or of general evil. 'Devil' is also used in many idioms ('speak of the devil').
No, not in modern standard English. The archaic verb 'demon' is obsolete. Use verbs like 'haunt', 'possess', 'bedevil', or 'plague' instead.
In computing, a 'daemon' (pronounced /ˈdiː.mən/ or /ˈdeɪ.mən/) is a background process. The term was inspired by Maxwell's demon in physics, a thought experiment about entropy. It's not directly related to evil spirits, though it shares the etymology of a 'spirit' or 'attendant power'.