BÊTES NOIRES Synonyms: 74 Similar and Opposite Words

bêtes noires

noun

plural of bête noire

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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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

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bêtes noires

Noun

Royals, who has typically sported some of the team’s most stylish hair, cut his dreads last week.

— Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 23 Sep. 2026
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

Definition of dreads

Noun

There’s something crazy about this season where there aren’t really any tight groups (except for Jelly and Devin) and everyone thinks their enemies are actually their allies.

— Brian Moylan, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2026
Now comes Netflix’s spin on the romantic comedy to end all romantic comedies, starring Emma Corrin and Jack Lowden as the characters at the center of literature’s original enemies-to-lovers trope.

— Hillary Busis, Vanity Fair, 5 Nov. 2026

Definition of enemies

Noun

Vallow Daybell holds doomsday religious beliefs and has claimed that people in her life were possessed by evil spirits.

— ABC News, ABC News, 2 Nov. 2026
This can be especially uncomfortable when the prevailing narrative holds its own special significance, but pondering such complexities strengthens our minds and our spirits.

— AJ Willingham, AJC.com, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of spirits

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

Oliva was being held on an additional bond of $3,650 on charges of possession of a firearm while having a domestic violence injunction, willful disregard of environmental regulations and nuisances injurious to health.

— David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 21 Oct. 2026
Macomb County, Michigan Spongy moths, formerly known as gypsy moths, are an invasive insect that can damage trees and create nuisances for residents, county officials said.

— Paula Wethington, CBS News, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of nuisances

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bête noire

bêtes noires

bethel

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“Bêtes noires.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/b%C3%AAtes%20noires. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of bêtes noires

noun

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