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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bugaboo
But this week, his irons are dialed, and suddenly the golfer most famous for his short game bugaboo is in the top five almost entirely because of his incredible saves around the green.
—
Brody Miller, New York Times, 15 June 2025
Of course, his biggest bugaboo has been his Strokes Gained: Around the Green.
—Kendall Capps, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 June 2025
Hispanic 2025-26 Upfront: Digital Expansion Plans & WBTV Hispanic Stream Launch
Debt has been the company’s bugaboo since Discovery acquired Warner Media three years ago.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 20 May 2025
Range anxiety, the bugaboo of all-electric driving, is even more frightening for all-electric flying, where running out of power has worse consequences than having to pull over to the side of the road.
—IEEE Spectrum, 9 June 2017
See All Example Sentences for bugaboo
Brody Miller, New York Times, 15 June 2025
Of course, his biggest bugaboo has been his Strokes Gained: Around the Green.
—Kendall Capps, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 June 2025
Hispanic 2025-26 Upfront: Digital Expansion Plans & WBTV Hispanic Stream Launch
Debt has been the company’s bugaboo since Discovery acquired Warner Media three years ago.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 20 May 2025
Range anxiety, the bugaboo of all-electric driving, is even more frightening for all-electric flying, where running out of power has worse consequences than having to pull over to the side of the road.
—IEEE Spectrum, 9 June 2017
See All Example Sentences for bugaboo
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bugaboo
Noun
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That feeling of dread is really only a response to our dread as to what humans are capable of.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Aug. 2025
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Right now, a legislator, even Anwar, spending time in prison adds to the whispers of dread circulating around Hartford.—
Kevin Rennie,
Hartford Courant,
9 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Defense spending has been a thorny subject for NATO members for years, and a persistent bugbear for Trump.—
Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
5 June 2025
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Under his leadership, Michigan had a robust Diversity, Equity and Inclusion program — a bugbear for Republicans — until announcing in March that it would be dismantled.—
Philissa Cramer,
Sun Sentinel,
4 June 2025
Noun
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Far to the north, in the Montes de Maria region where Nawar Jimenez grew up, the terror instilled by armed groups is also deep-rooted.—
Ladan Anoushfar,
CNN Money,
6 Aug. 2025
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Virginia Woolf’s wild run of creativity in her 40s included writing her masterpiece on the terrors and triumphs of middle age.—
Hillary Kelly,
The Atlantic,
5 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The plague of injuries hadn’t lifted either, last year’s No. 2 pick Cameron Brink was still recovering from a torn ACL and speedy spark plug Rae Burrell was injured just seconds into the season.—
Mirjam Swanson,
Oc Register,
8 Aug. 2025
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Those individuals, then, via cough or direct contact, can spread plague person-to-person, and that’s called primary pneumonic plague.—
Lauren J. Young,
Scientific American,
15 July 2025
Noun
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Both times, late Sunday struggles got the better of him, most recently a bogey on the 17th hole that cost him the lead and a spot in the playoff between J.J. Spaun and eventual winner Justin Rose.—
Mike Dojc,
Forbes.com,
13 Aug. 2025
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Despite a strong week, a bogey on the 17th hole dropped the 34-year-old out of contention.—
Devlina Sarkar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bugaboo.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bugaboo. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025.
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