slayer
- 01 C1 Advanced
a person who kills a dangerous person, animal, or monster.
one who slays; a killer, specifically one who destroys a powerful or mythical adversary.
Simple“In the old story, the brave knight was known as a dragon slayer.”
In context“The protagonist is portrayed not merely as a soldier, but as a legendary slayer of demons who protects the kingdom from supernatural threats.”
UsageOften used in compound nouns like 'dragon-slayer' or 'giant-slayer'.
Teacher's tipThis word is very dramatic and rare in everyday conversation; it is mostly found in fantasy novels, video games, or historical dramas.
Synonyms
From Middle English slear, sleere, sleare, slaare, dissimilated from Old English slaga (“slayer”), equivalent to slay + -er.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.