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
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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
-
Finding the police at our place, then, wasn’t really a surprise, and my pulse returned to its usual rhythm, oddly calmed by the fact that the dread had finally left my heart.—
Andrea Bajani,
New Yorker,
7 June 2026
-
The prospect of voters heading to the polls in November to decide whether to give themselves a break on their property taxes has put cities in South Florida and across the state on edge, triggering alarm and dread.—
Susannah Bryan,
Sun Sentinel,
6 June 2026
Noun
-
Because the Russian commanders keep attacking anyway, the Ukrainians are killing and wounding thousands of enemy soldiers, perhaps as many as 30,000, every month.—
Anne Applebaum,
The Atlantic,
7 June 2026
-
Hunger and disease are always enemies that accompany war and sometimes can claim more lives than the fighting itself.—
William Lambers,
Hartford Courant,
6 June 2026
Noun
-
Maria hopes people will practice kindness, compassion, and empathy instead of hate.—
Ted Scouten,
CBS News,
13 June 2026
-
This is a story of inclusion, a common struggle, and a united response against hate.—
Rev. José Rodriguez,
The Orlando Sentinel,
12 June 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
-
Alexander Kazakov | Afp | Getty Images That Russia and China are seen as ideologically aligned on many geopolitical issues, with each sharing a traditional antipathy and distrust towards the West, and Washington.—
Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
20 May 2026
-
Faced with widespread antipathy, those mainstream forces have been hammered by the electorate, with voters increasingly turning to the Greens and Reform, as well as Plaid and the SNP in Wales and Scotland.—
Alexander Smith,
NBC news,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
And even then, referees seemed to regard injuries as nuisances that stopped the flow of the game.—
Joshua P. Cohen,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
-
As Part 108 and other advances allow autonomous drones to surge, regulators will also have to consider public concerns about privacy, malicious actions and nuisance.—
Agamemnon Crassidis,
The Conversation,
11 June 2026
Noun
-
Qatar 2022 was an abomination in so many ways, a World Cup staged in a nation roughly the size of Connecticut, with an appalling human rights record, but the football was frequently thrilling.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
11 June 2026
-
Yes, the first season of Big Brother was an abomination.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 June 2026
Noun
-
The notion that nature begins only where humans end is anathema to the Cornish spirit.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
-
Becerra has seemed almost allergic to lavish tax benefits, while Hilton comes with a host of conservative policy proposals, from the dismantling of environmental protections to pushing low-density housing, that will be anathema to many liberals in Hollywood.—
Steven Zeitchik,
HollywoodReporter,
10 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bête noire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/b%C3%AAte%20noire. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
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