a male demon believed to lie on sleeping persons and to have sexual intercourse with sleeping women
"The frightened woman claimed she had been visited by an incubus during her sleep, leaving her exhausted the next morning."
someone who depresses or worries others
"The new manager acted as an incubus, constantly dampening the team's morale with his gloomy predictions and relentless criticism."
An evil spirit supposed to oppress people while asleep, especially to have sex with women as they sleep.
"Legends once whispered that a demon known as an incubus would creep into the sleeping chamber of young maidens to seduce them in their dreams."
In plain English: An incubus is an old story about a demon that visits sleeping men to have sex with them and make them sick or weak.
"The old man used to tell scary stories about an incubus sleeping beside children at night."
Usage: In modern English, the word incubus is almost exclusively used in fantasy fiction or horror contexts rather than literal belief systems. When referring to a malevolent dream demon that seduces sleeping victims, it serves as a specific synonym for succubus but distinguishes itself by being male and targeting women during sleep.
The word comes from the Late Latin term incubus, which originally described a nightmare spirit that lay upon sleeping people. It is derived from the verb meaning "to lie on" or "to hatch," combining ideas of being positioned over someone with the act of lying down.