Usually means: Societal scapegoat for moral panic.
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We found 3 dictionaries that define the word folk devil:

General (3 matching dictionaries)
  1. folk devil: Oxford Learner's Dictionaries
  2. folk devil: Wiktionary
  3. Folk devil: Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia

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Definitions from Wiktionary (folk devil)

▸ noun:  (idiomatic, sociology) A person or type of person blamed by the public for various ills, as during a moral panic.

Similar:
fall guy, Devil, fiend, Big Bad Wolf, fooligan, fadmonger, streetfolk, bottom feeder, goat, pantomime villain, more...

Opposite:
folk hero, beloved figure, role model

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Similar:
fall guy, Devil, fiend, Big Bad Wolf, fooligan, fadmonger, streetfolk, bottom feeder, goat, pantomime villain, more...

Opposite:
folk hero, beloved figure, role model



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