Definition

1. Noun:
   • The fictional Swiss scientist: The protagonist in Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley's 1818 gothic novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. He is a scientist who creates a sentient creature from assembled body parts.
   • The monster created by the scientist: In common usage, "Frankenstein" is often mistakenly used to refer to the monster itself, rather than its creator. The creature is typically depicted as a tragic figure.
   • A thing that becomes terrifying or destructive to its maker: A metaphor for any creation, institution, or process that escapes the control of its originator and ultimately turns against them.

Examples of Usage

• Noun (The Scientist):
  • In the novel, Frankenstein is horrified by the being he has brought to life.
  • Dr. Victor Frankenstein's story is a cautionary tale about scientific ambition.
• Noun (The Monster - Common Usage):
  • The movie featured a giant Frankenstein terrorizing the village. (Note: This usage, while common, conflates the creator with the creation.)
  • Children often dress up as Frankenstein for Halloween.
• Noun (Metaphorical Meaning):
  • The new algorithm became a Frankenstein, generating unpredictable and harmful results.
  • Some argue that social media is a Frankenstein that its creators can no longer control.

Advanced Usage

• "Frankenstein's monster": The correct term for the creature, emphasizing its origin and relationship to its creator.
  • The true tragedy lies with Frankenstein's monster, who only desired companionship.
• "A Frankenstein scenario": A situation where a creation rebels against or harms its creator.
  • The development of autonomous weapons raises fears of a real-world Frankenstein scenario.

Variants and Related Words

• Frankensteinian (adj): Resembling or characteristic of Frankenstein, his monster, or the novel's themes (e.g., hubris, creation).
  • The project had a Frankensteinian quality, pieced together from incompatible parts.
• Frankenfood (n, informal, often derogatory): A portmanteau of "Frankenstein" and "food," used to describe genetically modified food.
  • Protesters denounced genetically engineered crops as "frankenfoods."

Synonyms

• Creator (for the scientist character).
• Monster, creature, abomination (for the being he creates).
• Juggernaut, behemoth, runaway train (for the metaphorical meaning of an uncontrollable force).

Related Phrases

• To create a Frankenstein: To bring something into existence that one cannot subsequently control.
  • By ignoring ethical guidelines, the company may have created a Frankenstein.
• A Frankenstein's monster of [something]: Describing something awkwardly assembled from disparate parts.
  • The policy was a Frankenstein's monster of conflicting ideas.

Related Idioms

• Modern Prometheus: The novel's subtitle, linking Frankenstein to the Greek myth of Prometheus, who defied the gods to give fire to humanity and was punished. This idiom highlights themes of forbidden knowledge and dire consequences.
  • Critics called the pioneering geneticist a modern Prometheus.

Noun

1. the fictional Swiss scientist who was the protagonist in a gothic novel by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley; he created a monster from parts of corpses
2. the monster created by Frankenstein in a gothic novel by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (the creator's name is commonly used to refer to his creation)
3. an agency that escapes control and destroys its creator