What does "zombie" mean?
A person, usually undead, animated by unnatural forces (such as magic), with no soul or will of his or her own.
Zombie
/ˈzɒmbi/ noun, slang
noun, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A person, usually undead, animated by unnatural forces (such as magic), with no soul or will of his or her own.
- Grammar: zombie is listed as noun, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: automaton, apparition, appearance, astral.
- Useful contrasts: autonomous agent, healthy company, human.
- Usage evidence: After my husband's death I walked around like a zombie.
How to use "zombie"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "zombie" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "zombie" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "zombie" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "zombie" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "zombie" is acting as noun, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "automaton" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "zombie", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A person, usually undead, animated by unnatural forces (such as magic), with no soul or will of his or her own.
"Betsy Connell: I don't know about zombies, doctor. Just what is a zombie? / Dr. Maxwell: A ghost. A living dead. It's also a drink."
- 2 several kinds of rum with fruit juice and usually apricot liqueur wordnet
- 3 An apathetic or slow-witted person. figuratively
- 4 someone who acts or responds in a mechanical or apathetic way wordnet
- 5 A human being in a state of extreme mental exhaustion. figuratively
"After working for 18 hours on the computer, I was a zombie."
Show 11 more definitions
- 6 a dead body that has been brought back to life by a supernatural force wordnet
- 7 Someone or something that should be dead but is not. figuratively
"I would advise anyone who does not share its politics — surely the great majority of gay men and lesbians — to shun NOLAG for the anachronistic zombie it is."
- 8 a god of voodoo cults of African origin worshipped especially in West Indies wordnet
- 9 An information worker who has signed a nondisclosure agreement.
- 10 (voodooism) a spirit or supernatural force that reanimates a dead body wordnet
- 11 A process or task which has terminated but has not been removed from the list of processes, typically because it has an unresponsive parent process.
"1986, Maurice J. Bach, The Design of the Unix Operating System, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, USA, See "Process States and Transitions," p. 147. 9. The process executed the exit system call and is in the zombie state. The process no longer exists, but it leaves a record containing an exit code and some timing statistics for its parent process to collect. The zombie state is the final state of a process."
- 12 A computer affected by malware which causes it to do whatever the attacker wants it to do without the user's knowledge.
- 13 A cocktail of rum and fruit juices.
"She takes the taxi to the good hotel / Bon marché as far as she can tell / She drinks the zombie from the cocoa shell"
- 14 A conscripted member of the Canadian military during World War II who was assigned to home defence rather than to combat in Europe. Canada, derogatory, historical
"1944, "Time for Decision," Time (US edition), 6 Nov., Had the time come to order Canada's home defense draftees—some 70,000 zombies idling at home—to battle overseas?"
- 15 Marijuana, or similar drugs. Australia, slang
"Traveling in a fried-out Kombi / On a hippie trail, head full of zombie"
- 16 A hypothetical being that is indistinguishable from a normal human being except in that it lacks conscious experience, qualia, or sentience.
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"After my husband's death I walked around like a zombie."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "zombie"?
Common synonyms include: automaton, apparition, appearance, astral, astral spirit, banshee.
How do you use "zombie" in a sentence?
After my husband's death I walked around like a zombie.
How do you pronounce "zombie"?
Pronounced /ˈzɒmbi/.
Etymology
First attested in the 18th century. From a Bantu language. Compare Kongo nzambi (“god”), zumbi (“fetish”), and Kimbundu nzumbi (“ghost”) (see Portuguese zumbi, Sranan Tongo dyumbi), and Caribbean folklore's jumbee (“a spirit or demon”). May have come through Louisiana Creole zombi (“zombie; ghost”). See also French zombi (“zombie”). A possible origin from Spanish sombra (“shadow, phantom”) has also been suggested.