variants
also bogyman
as in specter
Related Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of bogeyman
And the foreign bogeyman was no longer the driver.
—
Sarah D. Wire, USA Today, 23 Mar. 2026
Some 15 to 20 years ago, MSG was nothing less than a nutritional bogeyman.
—Caroline Tien, SELF, 23 Feb. 2026
For all of his brutality and bogeyman power, viewers didn’t think of him as a villain.
—Brian Raftery, Longreads, 29 Jan. 2026
His other go-to bogeyman, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, is now firmly in his lame-duck era as his term ends this spring.
—Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 11 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bogeyman
Sarah D. Wire, USA Today, 23 Mar. 2026
Some 15 to 20 years ago, MSG was nothing less than a nutritional bogeyman.
—Caroline Tien, SELF, 23 Feb. 2026
For all of his brutality and bogeyman power, viewers didn’t think of him as a villain.
—Brian Raftery, Longreads, 29 Jan. 2026
His other go-to bogeyman, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, is now firmly in his lame-duck era as his term ends this spring.
—Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 11 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bogeyman
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bogeyman
Noun
-
New York — Kevin Warsh’s dream of becoming Federal Reserve chairman was nearly tarnished by the specter of having to confront simultaneous and conflicting challenges brewing in the US economy.—
Matt Egan,
CNN Money,
16 June 2026
-
The movies deal with the specter of obsolescence — but also its happy twin, rebirth.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
16 June 2026
Noun
-
The finale gives us more insight into the possible demon, which seems to operate by the rules of Stephen King’s It.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
17 June 2026
-
Gregg Allman, the legendary frontman of the Allman Brothers Band, fought a decades-long battle with personal demons that nearly destroyed him.—
Ashley Hume , Larry Fink,
FOXNews.com,
16 June 2026
Noun
-
The Devil’s Museum, a satellite of the main collection, has amassed more than 3,000 depictions of demons, evil spirits and incubus from around the world.—
Joe Yogerst,
Forbes.com,
22 Apr. 2025
-
Your fame sits beside you like an incubus, and people are embarrassed and want to leave the room.—
Candace Bushnell,
Vogue,
23 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Night of the Living Dead centers all the action at a farmhouse, where seven people attempt to ward off the ghouls — without any prior knowledge of how to do so.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 June 2026
-
Jittery housemaid Miss Lamb (Thomasin McKenzie) proves less trouble to manage, as Fred scares the wits out of her with bogus talk of a ghoul wandering the Moors.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
22 May 2026
Noun
-
That’s the £312 million phantom.—
Maman Ibrahim,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2026
-
Such a designation, evidently, would save agents from wasting time chasing phantoms.—
Adam Ciralsky,
Vanity Fair,
19 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Three species of bats inhabit the site, and supernatural events—including the appearance of the gamekeeper’s ghost and the wail of a banshee—have been reported.—
Patricia Doherty,
Travel + Leisure,
22 May 2026
-
Weaving, even more than before, makes Grace an ingénue gone banshee.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
14 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
These days, fear and absurdity walk hand in hand, and anyone who’s scrolled a news feed knows how quickly abject terror can morph into cathartic giggles.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
17 June 2026
-
The military retaliation followed an April 26 terror attack, when an explosive device detonated on a passenger bus traveling along the Pan-American Highway in the volatile Cauca region.—
Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
17 June 2026
Noun
-
At her very best, Emily behaves like a petulant pre-adolescent spoiled imp.—
Liza Lentini,
SPIN,
14 Apr. 2026
-
The second was more bizarre: that some nasty imp in my psyche might decide that jumping was a good idea.—
Rosecrans Baldwin,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bogeyman.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bogeyman. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
