as in dread
something or someone that causes fear or dread especially without reason
Form 1040 has always been his personal black beast, and he puts off dealing with it for as long as he can
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of black beast
Based on a 1967 Chevrolet Impala, the black beast is powered by a powerful Chevy V-8 and features parts sourced from a British Harrier fighter jet.
—
Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 11 Mar. 2022
Malone's black beast in the closet is threatening Alaska now.
—Author: Charles Wohlforth | Opinion, Anchorage Daily News, 2 Mar. 2018
Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 11 Mar. 2022
Malone's black beast in the closet is threatening Alaska now.
—Author: Charles Wohlforth | Opinion, Anchorage Daily News, 2 Mar. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for black beast
Noun
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Suffused with dread and bathed in reverb, the record captures two virtuosos at their most vulnerable.—
Paul A. Thompson,
Pitchfork,
23 Jan. 2026
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The dread of blacklisting among cast and crew members who jump from job to job in the entertainment industry isn’t unique to The Cleaning Lady.—
Winston Cho,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Within the broader terror campaign, the administration is focused on the most vulnerable.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
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Douglas doesn’t understand why his children are partial to their mother, his ex-wife, who was the source of so much instability and terror.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Michael Malone, during his Nuggets days, was a genius at creating enemies, of underlining slights that may or may not have ever been real.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
13 Jan. 2026
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Hurt by Israel’s large-scale infiltration and strikes last year, Iran’s regime moved swiftly to brand those demanding change as enemies of the state.—
Mostafa Salem,
CNN Money,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
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That sickness felt like a plague Wednesday as Auburn shot 39 of them on 26 Texas fouls.—
Cedric Golden,
Austin American Statesman,
30 Jan. 2026
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In the 1980s, right-wing firebrands such as Jerry Falwell and Anita Bryant claimed that the AIDS epidemic was a plague sent by God to punish gay people.—
Hillary Rodham Clinton,
The Atlantic,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Here, a fairy tale-level ogre in Lorincz gets the benefit of the doubt from police because of her whiteness.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
29 Dec. 2025
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The show starts, as many anime romances do, with a childhood friendship, here between the chaotic witch-in-training Nico and the taciturn ogre Morihito.—
Kambole Campbell,
Vulture,
9 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Black beast.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/black%20beast. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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