as in dread
something or someone that causes fear or dread especially without reason
doing one's tax returns is a real bugaboo for a lot of people
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bugaboo
James went down a lengthy list of bugaboos that hurt the Chargers, including but not limited to 14 penalties totaling 107 yards, the Giants’ 7-for-15 efficiency on third downs, a lackluster start that featured deficits of 10-0 and 13-3 in the first half and a failure to force a New York turnover.
—
Elliott Teaford, Oc Register, 28 Sep. 2025
Recent evidence points to the Marlins being the kind of bugaboo for the New York teams, who face differing degrees of difficulty in their quests to become division winners.
—Larry Fleisher, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Instead, the world over will have to increase more reliable energy sources, particularly coal, natural gas and that other bugaboo of environmentalists, nuclear energy.
—Peter Murphy, Hartford Courant, 18 Aug. 2025
Forget the bugaboo of EV battery range.
—Mark Phelan, USA Today, 11 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bugaboo
Elliott Teaford, Oc Register, 28 Sep. 2025
Recent evidence points to the Marlins being the kind of bugaboo for the New York teams, who face differing degrees of difficulty in their quests to become division winners.
—Larry Fleisher, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Instead, the world over will have to increase more reliable energy sources, particularly coal, natural gas and that other bugaboo of environmentalists, nuclear energy.
—Peter Murphy, Hartford Courant, 18 Aug. 2025
Forget the bugaboo of EV battery range.
—Mark Phelan, USA Today, 11 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bugaboo
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bugaboo
Noun
-
Suffused with dread and bathed in reverb, the record captures two virtuosos at their most vulnerable.—
Paul A. Thompson,
Pitchfork,
23 Jan. 2026
-
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
-
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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The question of how to fly with a cello is a bugbear among many string players.—
John Phipps,
New Yorker,
17 Jan. 2026
-
European leaders this week also discussed the thorny issue of future funding for the country, which is a bugbear for Trump.—
Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
10 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
From Agnes’ brutal childbirth scenes to the wrenching heartbreak when the plague hits their household and takes 11-year-old Hamnet (Jacobi Jupe), Zhao immerses you in Agnes and Will’s grief while also touching on their own individual internal tussles.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
22 Jan. 2026
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Published in 1842, Poe’s story follows Prince Prospero, who retreats with a group of nobles into a fortified abbey as a deadly plague ravages the countryside.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
20 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Riley rebounded from a bogey on the par-3 11th with a birdie on the par-4 12th.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
17 Jan. 2026
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Dickson and 2023 Boise Open champion Chan Kim are the only players in Korn Ferry Tour history to win without making a bogey, Dickson won his third title on the tour in his 100th start.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
15 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bugaboo.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bugaboo. Accessed 29 Jan. 2026.
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