incubus
/ˈɪŋkjəbəs/
noun
- A male demon believed in folklore to lie on sleeping people, especially women, to have sexual intercourse with them.
- Legends say that an incubus could be warded off by placing a Bible under the pillow.
- In medieval stories, an incubus would visit sleepers and cause terrifying nightmares.
- The old painting depicted an incubus crouching on the chest of a sleeping woman.
- A person or thing that oppresses, burdens, or causes great anxiety, like a nightmare.
- The debt became an incubus that haunted him day and night.
- For the small town, the abandoned factory was an incubus of unemployment and decay.
- She felt the memory of the accident was an incubus she could not shake off.