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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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
-
This collection hums with multiracial dread, and explores the nuances of family making outside hegemony.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
16 Mar. 2026
-
One gets the sense, reading DuBois, that Stanton’s fervor for political action stemmed from a dread of being governed by idiots.—
Moira Donegan,
New Yorker,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
And yet, despite that, there had been the weight gain, just enough for the zipper on the Balenciaga to become her sworn enemy.—
Han Ong,
New Yorker,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Locust's radars can find enemy drones up to 7 miles away, according to John Garrity, who is in charge of the program at AeroVironment.—
Lesley Stahl,
CBS News,
15 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Shannon, executive director of programs and initiatives with Life After Hate, a national nonprofit focused on helping people exit violent- and hate-fueled ideologies, said research shows people often join violent extremist groups for the same reasons others join gangs.—
Natalie Eilbert,
jsonline.com,
19 Mar. 2026
-
As written and implemented, these laws place undue burden on proving individual culpability based on smoking-gun evidence of hate.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Mar. 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
-
Fanning the flames of the drama was the mutual antipathy between the couples.—
Natasha O'Neill,
Vanity Fair,
26 Jan. 2026
-
The storyline has been that Apple can’t shoot straight; the antipathy of the Apple-using/hating commentators runs so deep that the critics dredged up the canard that Apple’s done nothing since former CEO Steve Jobs died.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
25 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Pollution was legally viewed as a local nuisance – the unavoidable price of progress.—
Ella Whitman,
The Conversation,
19 Mar. 2026
-
Quantum measurement disturbance, ordinarily a nuisance, would serve as a shield against prying eyes.—
Ben Brubaker,
Quanta Magazine,
18 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Yes, the opening animation was an abomination, but what followed was almost — almost — enough to make up for it.—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
7 Feb. 2026
-
Orthodox Jews viewed the pop-up novelty with its mixed troupes as an abomination, but young female actors and singers embraced the emancipatory promise of the stage.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The two media personalities have come to represent an emerging, anti-Israel wing of the Republican party that indulges in antisemitic conspiracy theories and is anathema to the RJC and its rank-and-file.—
Joseph Strauss,
Sun Sentinel,
16 Mar. 2026
-
After all, the concept is considered antithetical or anathema to the Iranian Revolution, which deposed the monarchy led by the shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, in 1979.—
Eric Lob,
The Conversation,
5 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bête noire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/b%C3%AAte%20noire. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
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