variants
also bogyman
as in specter
Related Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of bogeyman
Some 15 to 20 years ago, MSG was nothing less than a nutritional bogeyman.
—
Caroline Tien, SELF, 23 Feb. 2026
For all of his brutality and bogeyman power, viewers didn’t think of him as a villain.
—Brian Raftery, Longreads, 29 Jan. 2026
His other go-to bogeyman, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, is now firmly in his lame-duck era as his term ends this spring.
—Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 11 Jan. 2026
Among Hollywood’s creative class, AI is a sort of bogeyman right now.
—Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 10 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bogeyman
Caroline Tien, SELF, 23 Feb. 2026
For all of his brutality and bogeyman power, viewers didn’t think of him as a villain.
—Brian Raftery, Longreads, 29 Jan. 2026
His other go-to bogeyman, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, is now firmly in his lame-duck era as his term ends this spring.
—Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 11 Jan. 2026
Among Hollywood’s creative class, AI is a sort of bogeyman right now.
—Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 10 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bogeyman
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bogeyman
Noun
-
But mass adoption of the technology has sparked some concern over the specter of a privatized surveillance state and the commercialization of sensitive personal information.—
Winston Cho,
HollywoodReporter,
18 May 2026
-
Michael is still raking in millions of dollars day by day at the box office, but the specter of what the movie might have been still hangs over its head.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
13 May 2026
Noun
-
His Joe is a real cynic, with demons in his closet; his rejoinders come from a tough place.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
21 May 2026
-
He is pursued by Miss Duan (Shu Qi), a rival demon hunter who dispatches them the old-fashioned way—by killing them.—
David Faris,
TheWeek,
20 May 2026
Noun
-
The Devil’s Museum, a satellite of the main collection, has amassed more than 3,000 depictions of demons, evil spirits and incubus from around the world.—
Joe Yogerst,
Forbes.com,
22 Apr. 2025
-
Your fame sits beside you like an incubus, and people are embarrassed and want to leave the room.—
Candace Bushnell,
Vogue,
23 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
At the title track’s video shoot, Michael gives directorial instructions in full ghoul makeup.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Created by a number of its stars, Ghosts originated on the BBC in 2019, following a group of ghouls from different historical periods haunting a country house while sharing the house with its new living occupants.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Such a designation, evidently, would save agents from wasting time chasing phantoms.—
Adam Ciralsky,
Vanity Fair,
19 Mar. 2026
-
The Stygiomedusa gigantea, commonly known as the giant phantom jelly, was filmed at 250 meters below the surface.—
Michelle Del Rey,
USA Today,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Weaving, even more than before, makes Grace an ingénue gone banshee.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
14 Mar. 2026
-
The bond between a rider and their banshee doesn't break, and chances are your bond with this two-figure set won't either.—
Fran Ruiz,
Space.com,
19 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Putting words on the page seems too low stakes to get worked up about, and yet the terror of saying something taboo—or just being boring—feels like a terrible fate to most writers.—
David O’Neill,
New Yorker,
20 May 2026
-
While Clancy died in 2013, Jack Ryan continues to confront a world that never loses its capacity for danger, destruction and terror.—
Stephen Schaefer,
Boston Herald,
20 May 2026
Noun
-
At her very best, Emily behaves like a petulant pre-adolescent spoiled imp.—
Liza Lentini,
SPIN,
14 Apr. 2026
-
The second was more bizarre: that some nasty imp in my psyche might decide that jumping was a good idea.—
Rosecrans Baldwin,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bogeyman.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bogeyman. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
