The Meaning of Succubus: What It Is and How To Use It

What is a succubus, and how do they attack their victims? This article will define the meaning of succubus and teach you how to use it.

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There are many types of evil spirits that you might hear about in different lore and legends. But what exactly is a succubus? This article will teach you what a succubus is and how to use the word succubus. 

Then, you will learn about the history of the word succubus and other topics related to the word succubus. Be careful, as people do not take kindly to being called a succubus! Make sure that you do not offend someone by calling them a succubus. 

What Does Succubus Mean?

A succubus is a female demon who has sexual intercourse with men while they are sleeping, according to legend. In a more general sense, this term can refer to any sort of evil spirit, or archaically, a prostitute. The plural of succubus is succubi, and the pronunciation of the word succubus is ˈsʌkjʊbəs.

The male counterpart of a succubus is called an incubus. An incubus is the same thing as a succubus (a demon that has sex with people while they are asleep). However, it is a male demon preying on a female victim in this case, not vice versa. Like the word succubus becomes succubi in the plural, the plural form of the word incubus is incubi. 

How Can We Use Succubus in a Sentence?

Using the word succubus in a sentence can be tricky. You never want to offend someone with the words you use, so make sure that you do not compare a person to a succubus if you do not want to insult them. 

To learn how to use the word succubus in the sentence, you can study the example below. 

Example: The Story of the Succubus

In my English class, we read a legend about a succubus. All of the boys in the class had nightmares for days, but all of the girls thought it was funny and set the men in the story had it coming to them.

What Is the Etymology of Succubus?

According to Dictionary, the word succubus entered Middle English in the mid-1300s. This word comes from Medieval Latin as a variant of the Late Latin succuba and succubare.  

What Are Translations of Succubus?

Like many types of evil demons or spirits, succubi exist in lore and legends around the world. If you would like to learn how other languages outside of the English language refer to a succubus, you can reference the below list of translations of succubus from Nice Translator

While it is unkind to call someone a succubus, it can be useful to know how to reference this type of evil spirit if you are learning about spirituality or legends in another country. The word succubus originates from the Latin term succuba, so you might notice that many of the below translations look and sound similar to the word succubus. This is probably because they all have the same Latin root.

  • Arabic: sectubus
  • Turkish: succubus
  • Chinese (Taiwan): 魅魔
  • Romanian: succubus
  • Serbian: сукубус
  • Latvian: succubus
  • Italian: succube
  • Filipino: succubus
  • French: succube
  • Danish: Succubus
  • Bulgarian: Succubus
  • Telugu: సుకుబస్
  • Greek: χαίρο
  • Hebrew: סוקובוס
  • Marathi: सुक्यूबस
  • Basque: jakina
  • Indonesian: succubus
  • Amharic: succubus
  • Slovenian: Succubus
  • Polish: Suckiebus
  • Kannada: ಹಳ್ಳಿಯ
  • Thai: ซัคคิวบัส
  • Gujarati: એક જાતની સકસ
  • Slovak: sucubus
  • Finnish: succubus
  • Hungarian: szukkubusz
  • Norwegian: succubus
  • Malay: succubus
  • Korean: 서큐버스
  • Swedish: succubus
  • Malayalam: സുകാൻയൂസസ്
  • Japanese: 夢魔
  • Welsh: succubus
  • Croatian: sukubus
  • Urdu: سوکوبس
  • Estonian: succubuus
  • Tamil: சுக்குபஸ்
  • Icelandic: Succubus
  • Hindi: ससुबस
  • Spanish: súcubo
  • Ukrainian: сукубус
  • Bengali: সুকুবাস
  • Dutch: succubus
  • Chinese (PRC): 魅魔
  • Catalan: succubus
  • German: Succubus
  • Russian: Суккуб

What Are Synonyms of Succubus?

A succubus evokes a very specific type of evil demon. However, it also has a general usage. Sometimes, even if you are trying to use succubus generally, it can evoke a specific type of spirit. 

When you want to find a word that is more or less specific than the word succubus, you can reference word lists of synonyms of succubus from Power Thesaurus. However, you should still use these words with caution when talking about other people, as many will not take kindly to being compared to a succubus (or any other kind of evil demon).

  • abandons
  • afreet
  • almah
  • apparition
  • archfiend
  • bangtail
  • barghest
  • bat
  • beast
  • bete noire
  • blouze
  • blowen
  • blowess
  • blowsabella
  • bogey
  • bogeyman
  • bugaboo
  • cacodemon
  • daemon
  • daeva
  • demon
  • demons
  • devil
  • dracula
  • dragon
  • evil
  • evil genius
  • evil spirit
  • fiend
  • frankenstein
  • genie
  • ghoul
  • ghoulie
  • goblin
  • hellion
  • hobgoblin
  • horror
  • illusion
  • imp
  • incubus
  • lamia
  • monster
  • nightmare
  • ogre
  • phantasm
  • phantom
  • satan
  • shaitan
  • specter
  • spirit
  • strumpet
  • succuba
  • supernatural entity
  • terror
  • unclean spirits
  • vampire

What Are Antonyms of Succubus?

How would you refer to someone or something that is the opposite of a succubus? To learn all about opposites of the word succubus, you can study this list of succubus antonyms from Power Thesaurus

Unlike calling someone a succubus, calling them any of the below terms would be a compliment!

  • angel
  • archangel
  • babe
  • baby
  • backer
  • beloved
  • benefactor
  • benefactress
  • cherub
  • contributor
  • darling
  • dear
  • dearest
  • divine messenger
  • donor
  • fairy godmother
  • friend
  • guarantor
  • guardian
  • guardian angel
  • holy being
  • holy man
  • holy person
  • honey
  • inamorata
  • lamb
  • love
  • patron
  • promoter
  • saint
  • seraph
  • spirit
  • sponsor
  • supernatural being
  • supporter
  • sweet
  • sweetheart
  • sweetie
  • treasure

Conclusion

The definition of succubus and its plural succubi is a female form of a demon that has sexual intercourse with men in their sleep. The word succubus is similar to the word incubus. However, an incubus is a male demon or spirit which sleeps with women while they are asleep. 

Be careful when using the word succubus or comparing people to a succubus, as this can be taken as an insult. 

Sources:

  1. Succubus synonyms – 245 Words and Phrases for Succubus | Power Thesaurus 
  2. Angel synonyms – 1 327 Words and Phrases for Angel | Power Thesaurus 
  3. Succubus Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com
  4. Incubus Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com
  5. Succubus | Nice Translator