Meaning & use
incubus
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In folklore, a male demon believed to lie upon and have intercourse with sleeping people; figuratively, an oppressive burden or nightmare.
See it in a sentence
Medieval legends described the incubus as a shadowy figure that visited people in their sleep.
The scandal became an incubus that weighed on the company for years afterward.
A note on using this word
The figurative sense (a heavy, oppressive burden) is common in literary writing even among readers unfamiliar with the folklore.
Words with a similar meaning
burdennightmare
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
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