as in fairy
an imaginary being usually having a small human form and magical powers
during the World Wars, fighter pilots adopted the fanciful notion that gremlins were responsible for mechanical failures on their planes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Examples of gremlin in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Bring On Larry Culp Larry Culp assumed the role of GE's inaugural external CEO in October 2018, coinciding with the organization grappling with substantial obstacles such as financial gremlins and operational inefficiencies.
—
Jim Osman, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2024
Over-the-top elements of this architectural style include balconies carved with peering gargoyles and gremlins on gilded buildings.
—Kristin Braswell, Travel + Leisure, 3 Feb. 2024
As already noted, the AMG EQE SUV doesn't actually go on sale here for another few months, and hopefully that gives Mercedes time to shake out a few gremlins here and there, mostly with the car's advanced driver assistance systems.
—Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, 10 July 2023
The herculean effort of moving my body even one tiny inch was rewarded by an invisible gremlin twisting a steak knife even deeper into my back.
—Marisa Cohen, Parents, 12 Aug. 2023
See all Example Sentences for gremlin 
Jim Osman, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2024
Over-the-top elements of this architectural style include balconies carved with peering gargoyles and gremlins on gilded buildings.
—Kristin Braswell, Travel + Leisure, 3 Feb. 2024
As already noted, the AMG EQE SUV doesn't actually go on sale here for another few months, and hopefully that gives Mercedes time to shake out a few gremlins here and there, mostly with the car's advanced driver assistance systems.
—Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, 10 July 2023
The herculean effort of moving my body even one tiny inch was rewarded by an invisible gremlin twisting a steak knife even deeper into my back.
—Marisa Cohen, Parents, 12 Aug. 2023
See all Example Sentences for gremlin
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gremlin.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to gremlin
Thesaurus Entries Near gremlin
Cite this Entry
“Gremlin.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gremlin. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share