ogre
/'ougə/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- (Folklore/Mythology): A monstrous, often giant-like creature from folklore and fairy tales, typically depicted as cruel, frightening, and sometimes as a man-eater.
- (Figurative): A person who is considered to be exceptionally cruel, brutal, or terrifying.
Usage and Examples
- Noun (Mythological Creature):
- In the story, the hero had to defeat the ogre that lived in the castle.
- The fairy tale featured a scary ogre who guarded a treasure.
- Noun (Figurative - Cruel Person):
- My old boss was a real ogre; he never had a kind word for anyone.
- She described the strict teacher as an ogre, but he was actually very fair.
Advanced Usage
- "Ogreish" (Adjective): Having the qualities of an ogre; cruel, brutish, or frightening.
- His ogreish behavior made him very unpopular.
- Conceptual Use: The term is often used in literary or journalistic criticism to describe a tyrannical figure, especially in a position of power.
- The dictator was portrayed as a political ogre by the foreign press.
Variants and Related Words
- Ogress (Noun): A female ogre.
- The ogress in the story was just as fearsome as her husband.
- Ogreish (Adjective): Resembling or characteristic of an ogre. (See Advanced Usage)
- Ogre-like (Adjective): Similar to an ogre.
Synonyms
- Monster (for the mythological sense)
- Brute, Fiend, Tyrant (for the figurative sense of a cruel person)
- Giant (specifically for the large, monstrous aspect)
Idioms and Common Phrases
- "Like an ogre": Used to describe someone behaving in a very mean or terrifying manner.
- He was shouting at the staff like an ogre.
- "Ogre of [a place/institution]": A common metaphorical construction to label a notoriously harsh individual within a specific context.
- He was known as the ogre of the finance department.
Noun
- (folklore) a giant who likes to eat human beings
- a cruel wicked and inhuman person