1
as in dread
something or someone that causes fear or dread especially without reason
doing my own tax return is the bête noire that haunts me every April
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in enemy
something or someone that is hated
in that organization's view, society's number one bête noire should be the drunk driver of a motor vehicle
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bête noire
There’s plenty of satisfying comic justice to come when Salieri is left alone to his own devices — and to spend a lot of climactic alone time with the audience — long after his bete noire is gone.
—
Chris Willman, Variety, 27 Feb. 2026
David Warner, like his bete noire Broad, was involved in 2023 but has retired since.
—Darren Richman, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2025
The illiberal Hungarian prime minister is the bete noire of the European Union, a beloved hero to a major segment of the U.S. right and most vocal statesman among nationalists in the West.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024
Others also pointed to a 2010 Bon Jovi gig in Tokyo that featured images of the Dalai Lama – Beijing’s bete noire – on the stage background.
—Heather Chen, CNN, 10 Feb. 2024
Wilt Chamberlain, Russell’s friend and lifelong bete noire, tried to slow down the game by taking Russell one-on-one in half-court sets that put the massive, absurdly gifted Wilt square in the post.
—Corbin Smith, Rolling Stone, 8 Feb. 2023
The food stylist's bete noire turned out to be foam.
—Clark Collis, EW.com, 3 Oct. 2022
To some Republican participants in the hearing, the whole thing seemed like an opportunity to take easy shots at outlets like Fox News, long a bete noire of the liberal and Democratic establishment.
—Andy Meek, Forbes, 5 Mar. 2021
Final approval rests with Italian President Sergio Mattarella—a respected figure in Italy’s establishment and another bete noire of the League and 5 Star Movement.
—WSJ, 11 Feb. 2019
Chris Willman, Variety, 27 Feb. 2026
David Warner, like his bete noire Broad, was involved in 2023 but has retired since.
—Darren Richman, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2025
The illiberal Hungarian prime minister is the bete noire of the European Union, a beloved hero to a major segment of the U.S. right and most vocal statesman among nationalists in the West.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024
Others also pointed to a 2010 Bon Jovi gig in Tokyo that featured images of the Dalai Lama – Beijing’s bete noire – on the stage background.
—Heather Chen, CNN, 10 Feb. 2024
Wilt Chamberlain, Russell’s friend and lifelong bete noire, tried to slow down the game by taking Russell one-on-one in half-court sets that put the massive, absurdly gifted Wilt square in the post.
—Corbin Smith, Rolling Stone, 8 Feb. 2023
The food stylist's bete noire turned out to be foam.
—Clark Collis, EW.com, 3 Oct. 2022
To some Republican participants in the hearing, the whole thing seemed like an opportunity to take easy shots at outlets like Fox News, long a bete noire of the liberal and Democratic establishment.
—Andy Meek, Forbes, 5 Mar. 2021
Final approval rests with Italian President Sergio Mattarella—a respected figure in Italy’s establishment and another bete noire of the League and 5 Star Movement.
—WSJ, 11 Feb. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bête noire
Noun
-
Every May, millions of high school students sit for Advanced Placement exams with a mixture of dread and excitement, with many believing that their scores could measurably shift the needle in their college prospects.—
Christopher Rim,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
-
Up until shooting began, Seydoux was in a state of dread.—
Daniel D'Addario,
Variety,
18 May 2026
Noun
-
In addition to the rotating contestants, Darrell Hammond almost always appeared as Trebek's enemy, a fictional version of the late Sean Connery.—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
17 May 2026
-
This could potentially raise billions of dollars for Iran while also putting pressure on Tehran’s ruling party’s enemies worldwide.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
17 May 2026
Noun
-
The hate and divisiveness can be attributed directly to one person.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
14 May 2026
-
The rapid rise of AI, while technologically dazzling, has prompted widespread anxieties on multiple fronts, including job security, human worth and potential misuse by malevolent actors looking to commit fraud, spread disinformation or foment hate.—
Marc Ramirez,
USA Today,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
These findings echo a broader pattern political scientists call affective polarization: the replacement of disagreement with abhorrence.—
Manvir Singh,
New Yorker,
27 Oct. 2025
-
When human decency and basic civility fall victim to partisanship and ideology, and abhorrence of violence becomes tempered by political aims, monstrosities and tyrannies become possible.—
Michael Bloomberg,
Twin Cities,
24 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The difference is Netflix had, at best, an antipathy towards the theatrical experience.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
9 Apr. 2026
-
The president’s antipathy for Mueller was on full display throughout the course of the Russia investigation, with Mueller – whose tenure as FBI director ended well before Trump took office – brought out of retirement by Trump’s own Justice Department to serve as special counsel.—
Josh Campbell,
CNN Money,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The hotel is on a block next to a major road, but the noise is more of a distant city hum than a nuisance.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
14 May 2026
-
Sargassum has become an increasingly expensive nuisance for coastal communities, and as blooms become larger due to warming water temperatures because of climate change and fertilizer run off providing blooms with endless nutrients, the problem will continue to mushroom.—
Ashley Miznazi,
Miami Herald,
13 May 2026
Noun
-
No respectable woman would permit such an abomination.—
Carly Tagen-Dye,
PEOPLE,
12 May 2026
-
Civic spending in all but eight states testifies to the fact that the Lost Cause fantasy was not an aberration or an abomination, but the reality across the country.—
Horace D. Ballard,
Artforum,
22 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
But this truth is anathema in a culture where billionaires expect to live forever and encounters with disease are wars to be fought and won.—
Hannah Kerman,
STAT,
29 Apr. 2026
-
But the issue isn’t if tanking is an anathema to any moral sports fan.—
Dave Hyde,
Sun Sentinel,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bête noire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/b%C3%AAte%20noire. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
