Caliban

noun

Cal·​i·​ban ˈka-lə-ˌban How to pronounce Caliban (audio)
: a savage and deformed slave in Shakespeare's The Tempest

Examples of Caliban in a Sentence

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Jennifer lives in Baltimore with her spouse, physicist Sean M. Carroll, and their two cats, Ariel and Caliban. — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 15 Mar. 2025 That book, Caliban and the Witch, traces the emergence of witch hunts throughout medieval Western Europe amid the transition from serfdom to proto-capitalism. — Hazlitt, 4 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1616, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Caliban was circa 1616

Browse Nearby Words

Calianá
Caliban
calibash
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Cite this Entry

“Caliban.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Caliban. Accessed 30 Mar. 2025.

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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about Caliban

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