# folk devil

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/folk-devil
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

A person or type of person blamed by the public for various ills, as during a moral panic.

## Examples

- The media turned the young man into a folk devil.
- During the moral panic, the news outlets identified a local group as the folk devil responsible for all the town's problems.
- Sociologists often observe how society constructs a folk devil to focus collective anxiety and justify harsh measures against a specific, marginalized group.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.