1
as in fairy
an imaginary being usually having a small human form and magical powers
in Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream, Puck is a hobgoblin who plays pranks such as spoiling milk and tripping old ladies
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2
as in dread
something or someone that causes fear or dread especially without reason
the fear of success and the pressures that come with it can be more of a hobgoblin than the possibility of failure
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hobgoblin
Gleeson’s Puck is a malevolent hobgoblin who serves as the royal jester to King Auberon of Faerie.
—
Denise Petski,
Deadline,
2 July 2024
Sightings of the mythical Nain Rouge, a red hobgoblin or dwarf that appears on the eve of tragedy, date to Detroit's origin — and locals have reclaimed the spirit with an annual march to scare the demon away, according to tradition.
—
Detroit Free Press,
24 Mar. 2024
As Ralph Waldo Emerson might have said in an essay of the same name (and did), a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds; Tommy seems to feel his brain shrinking along with his life.
—
John Anderson,
WSJ,
9 Jan. 2024
Consistency is the hobgoblin of large language models.
—
Brianne Kane,
Scientific American,
29 Sep. 2023
See All Example Sentences for hobgoblin
Denise Petski,
Deadline,
2 July 2024
Sightings of the mythical Nain Rouge, a red hobgoblin or dwarf that appears on the eve of tragedy, date to Detroit's origin — and locals have reclaimed the spirit with an annual march to scare the demon away, according to tradition.
—
Detroit Free Press,
24 Mar. 2024
As Ralph Waldo Emerson might have said in an essay of the same name (and did), a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds; Tommy seems to feel his brain shrinking along with his life.
—
John Anderson,
WSJ,
9 Jan. 2024
Consistency is the hobgoblin of large language models.
—
Brianne Kane,
Scientific American,
29 Sep. 2023
See All Example Sentences for hobgoblin
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hobgoblin
Noun
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For something dreamier, A Midsummer Night’s Dream theme pairs flower garlands and fairy lights with pretty appetizers and edible floral cocktails.
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Flower garlands, fairy lights everywhere, pretty appetizers and edible floral cocktails.
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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At the end of 2005-2006, a whole host of elves got arrested and were sent to prison.
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The actress will play an elf named Seren, who is a brand new character for the Lord of the Rings franchise.
Noun
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Zendaya, Marcello Hernandez, and Skyler Gisondo will portray the children of the central ogre couple.
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Hitting theaters next summer, Shrek 5 sees Zendaya joining the voice cast that includes returnees Mike Myers as the titular misunderstood ogre, Murphy as his best pal Donkey and Cameron Diaz as Princess Fiona.
Noun
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After all, everyone's inner goblin comes out eventually.
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The scientists only got a passing glimpse of the goblin shark before the lights and loud noise from the ROV's motor scared it away, Auscavitch told ABC News.
Noun
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In the end, reverence for the likes of Genghis Khan, Hitler, and Attila the Hun mistakes fear for respect, destruction for disruption, and raw terror for true greatness.
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Set five years after the Ghostbusters took the Statue of Liberty for a walk, young, scrappy New Yorkers face a new wave of supernatural terror hitting the Big Apple.
Noun
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Beyond the fruit, the dwarf golden spice pear features clusters of white spring blooms and glossy leaves that turn a striking burgundy or bronze color in the fall.
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Many get very large, so be sure to buy a dwarf variety for foundation plantings.
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.
Cite this Entry
“Hobgoblin.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hobgoblin. Accessed 1 Jul. 2026.
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