Frankenstein
Frankenstein (noun) means a creation that ends up monstrous, uncontrollable, or dangerously different from what its creator intended. Example: “The app's tangle of patches had become a total Frankenstein.”
How to use Frankenstein
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishSomething built by bolting together mismatched pieces, often with unintended and unsettling results.
In the novel, Frankenstein is the scientist, not the monster — but everyday usage treats "Frankenstein" as the creature's name, and that sense is now standard in casual speech.
Word forms
- Plural
- Frankensteins
- Third person singular
- Frankensteins
- Past tense
- Frankensteined
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
The app's tangle of patches had become a total _____.
Etymology
From Victor Frankenstein, the scientist in Mary Shelley's 1818 novel who builds a living being out of corpse parts. People commonly (if technically incorrectly) use "Frankenstein" for the monster itself rather than its creator.
Synonyms
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Rhymes for Frankenstein
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