SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
incubus
noun
An oppressive burden or nightmare; also a nightmare figure in folklore.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
Oppressive burden
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topThe figurative incubus is a burden or torment; its folkloric sense denotes a particular nightmare figure.
Folkloric nightmare figure
No close substitute is listed for this sense. The expressions below help explain the idea.
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topThese phrases describe a particular male figure in folklore associated with sleeping people. Evil spirit is broader, and the figurative burden meaning is separate.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See incubus in use
The unpaid obligation became an incubus that dominated the character's thoughts.
The expedition leader's memory of dismissing an earlier concern became an incubus, an oppressive burden that intruded on every attempt to plan calmly after the betrayal.
Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.
Synonym reference scope and sources
The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.
How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license