as in dread
something or someone that causes fear or dread especially without reason
doing one's tax returns is a real bugaboo for a lot of people
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bugaboo
Layups and free throws were Golden State’s biggest bugaboos during its 7-17 spell.
—
Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 5 Mar. 2025
Howells secures the double for the weekend with this win, and needs to get over his singles bugaboo to push for a triple crown.
—Todd Boss, Forbes, 4 Mar. 2025
Without Anthony Davis, the Warriors’ biggest (literally) bugaboo wouldn’t be a factor.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 5 Mar. 2025
Next week, George was trained as a chef, but he's got one frustrating bugaboo in the kitchen.
—Bon Appétit, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bugaboo
Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 5 Mar. 2025
Howells secures the double for the weekend with this win, and needs to get over his singles bugaboo to push for a triple crown.
—Todd Boss, Forbes, 4 Mar. 2025
Without Anthony Davis, the Warriors’ biggest (literally) bugaboo wouldn’t be a factor.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 5 Mar. 2025
Next week, George was trained as a chef, but he's got one frustrating bugaboo in the kitchen.
—Bon Appétit, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bugaboo
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bugaboo
Noun
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For many, as the rain kept falling, there was a sense of dread that the worst was still to come.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
7 Apr. 2025
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Thus, the fear of displacement has not become a distant memory but a continuous dread as the age of gentrification looms over the neighborhood.—
Alyza J Figueroa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
3 Apr. 2025
Noun
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One of Trump’s longstanding bugbears has been America’s trade deficits with its neighbors and competitors including Canada, China, Mexico and the European Union.—
Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
3 Apr. 2025
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Kuo also said the iPhone Fold, as it likely won’t be called, will address the biggest bugbear for folders: a too-visible crease in the internal display when it’s opened.—
David Phelan,
Forbes.com,
29 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The massive spike in antisemitic incidents that followed the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks in 2023 continued last year, according to data compiled by the Anti-Defamation League.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
22 Apr. 2025
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The gunman who killed 23 people in a racist attack at an El Paso Walmart in 2019 will spend the rest of his life in prison after pleading guilty to one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history and the worst domestic terror attack on Hispanics that the country has ever seen.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
22 Apr. 2025
Noun
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While there is indeed connective tissue between the many forms of hate that plague our society, each has its own contours, and there are moments that demand addressing each one specifically – this is such a moment for antisemitism.—
Sara Colb,
Boston Herald,
16 Apr. 2025
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When plague struck again, only 18 ferrets remained.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
15 Apr. 2025
Noun
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DeChambeau made consecutive bogeys at three and four, never again getting back to double-digits under par.—
Justin Ray,
New York Times,
14 Apr. 2025
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That, followed by another bogey on the 14th, allowed Rose and Ludvig Aberg to tie the lead.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bugaboo.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bugaboo. Accessed 29 Apr. 2025.
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