undead
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.describing a creature that is dead but still moves and acts like it is alive, such as a zombie.
adj.pertaining to a deceased entity that retains a state of animation or consciousness, typically within the context of horror or fantasy fiction.
Simple“In the movie, an army of undead soldiers rose from their graves.”
In context“The protagonist realized that the villagers were not merely sick, but had been transformed into undead thralls by the sorcerer.”
UsageUsually non-gradable; a creature is either undead or it is not.
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.creatures that are dead but still move, often used as a group name.
n.a category of beings that are deceased yet animate; often used as a collective noun with the definite article.
Simple“The survivors built a high wall to keep the undead out of the city.”
In context“The folklore of the region is rich with tales of the undead returning to haunt those who disturbed their rest.”
UsageOften used as a collective noun ('the undead') to refer to a group.
Teacher's tipRemind students that 'the undead' functions like 'the poor' or 'the rich', acting as a plural noun phrase.
From Middle English undede, equivalent to un- + dead. The first attestation is from around 1400. The term was revived, popularized, and imbued with supernatural connotations by its usage in Bram Stoker's novel Dracula (1897).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.