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
And in May, reporting revealed the charity had dropped commitments to housing and homelessness nonprofits, including many focused on MAGA’s biggest bugaboos: racial equity and economic inclusion.
—
Max Taves, Mercury News, 11 July 2025
The secretary is going after issues that have long been bugaboos of him and his anti-vax group, Children's Health Defense.
—CBS News, 29 June 2025
Considering the convergence of current cultural bugaboos on deck here—race, class, cancel culture, immigration—The Uproar mostly wears its topicality lightly, preferring the granular pull of human drama to editorial hectoring or lectures.
—Book Marks
june 26, Literary Hub, 26 June 2025
But this week, his irons are dialed, and suddenly the golfer most famous for his short game bugaboo is in the top five almost entirely because of his incredible saves around the green.
—Brody Miller, New York Times, 15 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for bugaboo
Max Taves, Mercury News, 11 July 2025
The secretary is going after issues that have long been bugaboos of him and his anti-vax group, Children's Health Defense.
—CBS News, 29 June 2025
Considering the convergence of current cultural bugaboos on deck here—race, class, cancel culture, immigration—The Uproar mostly wears its topicality lightly, preferring the granular pull of human drama to editorial hectoring or lectures.
—Book Marks
june 26, Literary Hub, 26 June 2025
But this week, his irons are dialed, and suddenly the golfer most famous for his short game bugaboo is in the top five almost entirely because of his incredible saves around the green.
—Brody Miller, New York Times, 15 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for bugaboo
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bugaboo
Noun
-
Dixon looks ahead with a mix of optimism and dread.—
Sarah Shephard,
New York Times,
13 Sep. 2025
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The assassination of Charlie Kirk has united the parties in a sense of dread that the country has arrived at a dangerous place.—
Mike Lillis,
The Hill,
13 Sep. 2025
Noun
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This was a bugbear most prominently highlighted in the case of the U.S. naval surveillance activities in Chinese EEZ in particular.—
Ryan Chan,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Aug. 2025
-
Defense spending has been a thorny subject for NATO members for years, and a persistent bugbear for Trump.—
Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
5 June 2025
Noun
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Dallas police identified the suspect as Yordanis Cobos-Martinez, who is being held without bond on a charge of capital murder by terror threat.—
Nic F. Anderson,
CNN Money,
13 Sep. 2025
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Perhaps, though, Kubrick's cold view of Jack and choice to diminish some of King's sympathetic nuances serve to heighten the terror; how much does knowing the complex motivations of a domestic abuser help their victims?—
James Grebey,
Time,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
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And the plague is coming on fast, ready to kill.—
Mary Crossan,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
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Then a plague hits the household.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Hardt also upgraded its vehicle by cutting bogie weight by 45 percent, boosting thrust by 50 percent, and integrating magnetic guidance with propulsion.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Sep. 2025
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Teammates have seen it in moments when others might slam a club or let a bogey spiral.—
Zach Sweet,
Kansas City Star,
9 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bugaboo.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bugaboo. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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