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
One of Trump’s biggest bugbears is the U.S. trade deficits with a number of key trading partners, including Canada and the EU.
—
Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 12 Mar. 2025
The fiscal policy has proved to be a persistent political bugbear for Berlin, with arguments between parties over the extent to which the debt brake ensures responsible spending, or limits growth and investment.
—Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 24 Feb. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for bugbear
Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 12 Mar. 2025
The fiscal policy has proved to be a persistent political bugbear for Berlin, with arguments between parties over the extent to which the debt brake ensures responsible spending, or limits growth and investment.
—Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 24 Feb. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for bugbear
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bugbear
Noun
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Looming over his studies and extracurriculars is a singular dread.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
8 June 2025
-
Kids might be excited about the end of the school year and for summer to begin, but many working parents who don’t know how to fill their kids’ long summer days may be feeling some dread right about now.—
Medora Lee,
USA Today,
8 June 2025
Noun
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More severe cases of salmonellosis may include a high fever, aches, headaches, lethargy, a rash, blood in the urine or stool, and in some cases may become fatal.—
Jasmine Laws,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 June 2025
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Its stern warnings are scary and uncomfortable--the headaches, indigestion, muscle spasms, body aches, clenched teeth or knots in your chest.—
Bryan Robinson,
Forbes.com,
4 June 2025
Noun
-
Hispanic 2025-26 Upfront: Digital Expansion Plans & WBTV Hispanic Stream Launch Debt has been the company’s bugaboo since Discovery acquired Warner Media three years ago.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
20 May 2025
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Range anxiety, the bugaboo of all-electric driving, is even more frightening for all-electric flying, where running out of power has worse consequences than having to pull over to the side of the road.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
9 June 2017
Noun
-
The early part of the season indicated Arizona would indeed be a thorn in the side of the Dodgers and one of the best teams in the NL.—
Andrew Wright,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 June 2025
-
But one Democratic strategist said Emanuel’s record — particularly as mayor of Chicago — could be a thorn in his side.—
Amie Parnes,
The Hill,
30 May 2025
Noun
-
The velocity of misinformation isn’t just a nuisance.—
Brent Gleeson,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025
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Eating flaxseed might even ease menopausal symptoms, which—among its many other nuisances—can often include GI issues.—
Christina Pérez,
Vogue,
29 May 2025
Noun
-
Six of the injured in what federal officials have described as a terror attack were from the same synagogue, Bonai Shalom.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
8 June 2025
-
The president said on X the travel ban was being introduced after a terror attack against a pro-Israel group advocating for Hamas to release Israeli hostages in Boulder, Colorado, last weekend, allegedly by an Egyptian man who had overstayed his visa.—
Paul Tilsley,
FOXNews.com,
8 June 2025
Noun
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Postgame, their manager’s frustration was palpable.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
4 June 2025
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The viral TikTok video of the incident, while gaining traction elsewhere, only added to the frustration expressed by those in the thread.—
Darlin Tillery,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 June 2025
Noun
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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
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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 17 Jun. 2025.
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