Frankenstein

[frang-kuhn-stahyn]

noun

1. a person who creates a monster or a destructive agency that cannot be controlled or that brings about the creator's ruin.

2. Also called Frankenstein monster. the monster or destructive agency itself.

Frankenstein

/ ˈfræŋkɪnˌstaɪn /

noun

1. a person who creates something that brings about his ruin

2. Also called: Frankenstein's monster. a thing that destroys its creator

Frankenstein

1. (1818) A novel by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley. The title character, Dr. Victor Frankenstein, makes a manlike monster from parts of cadavers and brings it to life by the power of an electrical charge. Frankenstein's monster is larger than most men and fantastically strong.

Frequently the subject of horror films, the monster is usually pictured with an oversized square brow, metal bolts in his neck and forehead, and greenish skin. People often mistakenly refer to the monster, rather than to his creator, as “Frankenstein.”

Other Word Forms

• Frankensteinian adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of Frankenstein¹

First recorded in 1830–40; after a character in Mary Shelley's novel of the same name (1818)

Word History and Origins

Origin of Frankenstein¹

C19: after Baron Frankenstein , who created a destructive monster from parts of corpses in the novel by Mary Shelley (1818)

Example Sentences

The company also pointed to its coming content slate that could help retain and acquire customers, including Frankenstein, the live Christmas NFL games, and the final season of Stranger Things.

Read more on Barron's

Merril, the Dr. Frankenstein of “anthropology,” has unleashed a digital creature that doesn’t seem all that intimidating when making sarcastic quips on the computer screen.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“Frankenstein” is the director’s lifelong passion project: He doesn’t just want to make a “Frankenstein” but the “Frankenstein,” so he’s faithfully set his adaptation in the past.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“Frankenstein,” however, seems to have been calling his name for a long time.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Frankenstein is now one of South Dakota’s foremost election lawyers, and she became Hulse’s mentor.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• behemoth 
• freak 
• giant 
• whale