bêtes noires

noun

plural of bête noire
1
as in dreads
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

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2
as in enemies
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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bêtes noires
  1. dreads
  2. enemies
  3. spirits
  4. hates
  5. abominations
  6. nuisances
Noun
  • He's described by officials as a Black male in his late teens with a medium-large build and thick dreads.
    — Nick Lentz, CBS News, 15 June 2026
  • Mirror images except for the fact that Jelani has his hair in dreads, while Ari goes with the more retro-look afro.
    — Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Feb. 2026
Definition of dreads
Noun
  • Weekly Newsletter The Legend of Zelda franchise also hints at secret alliances between Link and several of his enemies in Hyrule.
    — Angelica Frey, JSTOR Daily, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Logan wields unbreakable, atomically sharp adamantium claws, yet enemies feel like bloated punching bags that require mindless button-mashing to stagger.
    — Gabriel Zamora, PC Magazine, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of enemies
Noun
  • The spirits industry was pushing trade officials to get back to negotiating.
    — Steve Kopack, NBC news, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Groceries Tariffs on Canadian beer, wine, spirits, dairy ingredients and more could cause some price increases during your weekly shopping.
    — Ryley Amond, CNBC, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of spirits
Noun
  • On the April 14 episode of the Bookmarked by Reese's Book Club podcast, the bestselling author, whose debut adult romantasy novel Starside hit shelves on March 31, spoke with journalist Danielle Robay about all things writing — including her romance genre loves and hates.
    — Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 20 Apr. 2026
Definition of hates
Noun
  • It a thematic fit, and after nearly 200 episodes, there’s no doubting this team’s ability to deliver fresh, new abominations.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 17 Aug. 2026
  • As the representative for the armed wing of a human empire, you're tasked with subduing these Lovecraftian abominations and securing a foothold for humanity on alien worlds.
    — Alan Bradley, Space.com, 5 Jan. 2026
Definition of abominations
Noun
  • The petition sought to classify data centers as industrial nuisances, arguing that a ban would protect residents’ property and preserve city resources, such as water and electricity.
    — Cuyler Dunn, Kansas City Star, 4 Sep. 2026
  • The number of bears killed by motor vehicle strikes, euthanized as nuisances because of conflicts with humans or poached in the Central Florida region over the past decade total about 1,900.
    — Stephen Hudak, The Orlando Sentinel, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of nuisances
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.

Browse Nearby Words

bête noire
bêtes noires
bethel
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Cite this Entry

“Bêtes noires.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/b%C3%AAtes%20noires. Accessed 12 Sep. 2026.

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