variants
also bogyman
as in specter
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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
-
African diasporic people’s contentious history with these formations of motherhood create specters of separation as reproductive injustice.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 June 2026
-
Their involvement now raises the specter of another squeeze on energy markets already beleaguered by closures on the Strait of Hormuz and partly reliant on the Red Sea as an alternative passageway for energy supplies.—
Nabih Bulos,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2026
Noun
-
The demon was largely limited to one expression — smugness — and was inexplicably the only character who spoke Japanese.—
Corbin Bolies,
Variety,
10 June 2026
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Still, 51-year-old Rhys didn’t take Nile’s demons or Tom’s supernatural burden home.—
Emma Fraser,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2026
Noun
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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
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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
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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
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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
-
The idea of bringing Pip to the local dog park flooded me with terror.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
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The defense argued that if jurors believe Anthony felt genuine terror and had no chance for calm reflection, then sudden passion applies, pointing to the video as evidence.—
Doug Myers,
CBS News,
10 June 2026
Noun
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At her very best, Emily behaves like a petulant pre-adolescent spoiled imp.—
Liza Lentini,
SPIN,
14 Apr. 2026
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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 13 Jun. 2026.
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