undead
undead Lexical Profile
undead Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Technically dead but still animate and active through supernatural means, as a vampire or zombie in folklore and fiction.
"The fantasy novel features an ancient castle guarded by undead knights."
• noun
Fictional or folklore beings, such as vampires, ghouls, or zombies, that are deceased yet supernaturally reanimated and active (usually preceded by 'the' and treated as plural).
"Folklore from various regions describes rituals meant to keep the undead from rising."
Word Nuance & Usage
Unlike its literal morphological components, 'undead' does not simply mean 'alive'; it specifically denotes supernatural beings, such as vampires or zombies, that have died yet continue to animate and function in the physical world.
• Rhymes for undead
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Dating back to Old English 'undēad' meaning 'immortal' or 'alive,' the word acquired its modern supernatural sense through Bram Stoker's 1897 gothic novel 'Dracula,' which originally bore the working title 'The Un-Dead.'
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.