1
as in dread
something or someone that causes fear or dread especially without reason
communism was once the nation's biggest bugbear
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in headache
something that is a source of irritation
hated all the bugbears of modern life, especially those long commutes to work
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bugbear
To attribute the corrosion of institutional trust to such bugbears as relativism or postmodernism is to ignore explanations that are both more concrete and more parsimonious.
—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2025
Kevin Lamarque | Reuters As U.S. President Donald Trump looks to immediately fix his greatest political and economic bugbears, the thorny issue of NATO defense spending is likely to quickly return to the global fore.
—Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 23 Jan. 2025
The billionaire’s post on his social network X referred specifically to a Trump executive order ending federal diversity, equity and inclusion mandates — a longtime bugbear of world’s richest person, who runs six companies and has railed against DEI efforts for years.
—Bloomberg, Orange County Register, 21 Jan. 2025
The new Conservative government, intent on reducing the deficit, cut deep and broad, slashing spending not just on party bugbears like welfare but also on public budgets for investment.
—Josh Holder, New York Times, 3 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for bugbear
Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2025
Kevin Lamarque | Reuters As U.S. President Donald Trump looks to immediately fix his greatest political and economic bugbears, the thorny issue of NATO defense spending is likely to quickly return to the global fore.
—Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 23 Jan. 2025
The billionaire’s post on his social network X referred specifically to a Trump executive order ending federal diversity, equity and inclusion mandates — a longtime bugbear of world’s richest person, who runs six companies and has railed against DEI efforts for years.
—Bloomberg, Orange County Register, 21 Jan. 2025
The new Conservative government, intent on reducing the deficit, cut deep and broad, slashing spending not just on party bugbears like welfare but also on public budgets for investment.
—Josh Holder, New York Times, 3 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for bugbear
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bugbear
Noun
-
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
-
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
-
Aside from her talk about specific songs, Roan also opened up about the creative process, which can sometimes be a massive headache, despite her being known for her catalog of fun and peppy songs.—
Mathew Rodriguez,
Them.,
17 Apr. 2025
-
Making matters worse, China’s been a real headache for Starbucks, even before the tariffs, on increasing local competition and tepid growth in the world’s second-largest economy.—
Morgan Chittum,
CNBC,
16 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
One of the chief bugaboos for fossil fuel interests is a movement among the states to create Superfund-like programs that would require polluters to pay for damages caused by climate change disasters.—
Michael Hawthorne,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Apr. 2025
-
The good news: Shelter prices, last year’s bugaboo, appear to be heading down, economists note.—
Andrew Ross Sorkin,
New York Times,
28 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
To shield your hands against thorns when pruning, wear leather or leatherlike gloves.—
Beth Botts,
Chicago Tribune,
12 Apr. 2025
-
Trees like Texas ebony and mesquite that have thorns to protect them from munching animals and long roots to tap moisture deep within the earth.—
Laura Mallonee,
Wired News,
12 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
On April 30th, 2022, a security guard at a local business plaza called the police to report Mary as a nuisance.—
Sarah Stillman,
New Yorker,
14 Apr. 2025
-
Protester Trenton Oldfield swam in front of both boats and was jailed for six months for causing a public nuisance.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
12 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
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
-
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
-
This has been a source of frustration for the woman’s mother, who desires more time with her grandchildren.—
Ashley Vega,
People.com,
16 Apr. 2025
-
This largely comes from a place of frustration at what is perceived as self-hate.—
Tayler Adigun,
Essence,
16 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Sailing teaches us that being an honorable competitor is more important than being a top competitor because while every race is there to lose, luck is the omnipresent hobgoblin.—
Conor Mastromarco,
Baltimore Sun,
18 Nov. 2024
-
Gleeson’s Puck is a malevolent hobgoblin who serves as the royal jester to King Auberon of Faerie.—
Denise Petski,
Deadline,
2 July 2024
Cite this Entry
“Bugbear.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bugbear. Accessed 29 Apr. 2025.
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