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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bugaboo
En route to finally winning a Super Bowl, the Colts were finally getting the upper hand on their longtime bugaboo, the Brady-Bill Belichick Patriots.
—
Jim Reineking,
USA Today,
4 May 2026
Five batters into Sunday’s game and the home run bugaboo that plagued Imanaga last season delivered a sense of déjà vu to the 33,559 fans in attendance at Wrigley Field.
—
Andy Martinez,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
But defense remains a big bugaboo, especially around the rim.
—
Thomas Jones,
Austin American Statesman,
13 Mar. 2026
Quite simply, Texas got bit by the same bugaboo that has haunted it this entire season.
—
Kirk Bohls,
Houston Chronicle,
8 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bugaboo
Jim Reineking,
USA Today,
4 May 2026
Five batters into Sunday’s game and the home run bugaboo that plagued Imanaga last season delivered a sense of déjà vu to the 33,559 fans in attendance at Wrigley Field.
—
Andy Martinez,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
But defense remains a big bugaboo, especially around the rim.
—
Thomas Jones,
Austin American Statesman,
13 Mar. 2026
Quite simply, Texas got bit by the same bugaboo that has haunted it this entire season.
—
Kirk Bohls,
Houston Chronicle,
8 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bugaboo
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bugaboo
Noun
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Great productions of Sondheim musicals, and this is one of those, always fill you with a certain existential dread.
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Dong recalled that dread ran deep because his tiny boat might capsize if the winds and waves picked up.
Noun
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Thibault in a news conference Tuesday said that authorities believe the incident was not related to terror.
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Meanwhile, frightful aftershocks continued to rock the area, sowing terror in a population already reaching the limits of endurance.
Noun
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The heat and humidity during our test week brought me to my other bugbear with the C-HR.
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Wardex's incompetence is another bugbear.
Noun
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That aspiration has become increasingly elusive to many Americans over the last decade as home prices remain near record highs and supply shortages plague much of the country.
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She’s now caught in the middle of a deadly magical plague and high-stakes political drama.
Noun
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Hovland made four bogeys, but only six pars — enough birdies (5) to stay in it.
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The majority of fans on the Long Island, New York property appeared to be pulling against the Colorado native with countless shouts for his golf ball to find bunkers and minor roars after each of his five bogeys during the final round.
Cite this Entry
“Bugaboo.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bugaboo. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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