as in dreads
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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Recent Examples of bugaboos
Best Supporting Actress One of Hickey’s bugaboos is the way the supporting races have often been gift-wrapped early, with co-leads like Emilia Pérez’s Zoe Saldaña and A Real Pain’s Kieran Culkin sweeping to victory.
—
Nate Jones, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2026
Now, for one of their chief bugaboos — a primary culprit for the mediocre record through 32 games.
—Joe Vardon, New York Times, 25 Dec. 2025
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
Getting the focus right is one of the bugaboos of using a telephoto lens for astrophotography, because the focus on such lenses is touchy and easily gets knocked off kilter.
—IEEE Spectrum, 28 Apr. 2024
Nate Jones, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2026
Now, for one of their chief bugaboos — a primary culprit for the mediocre record through 32 games.
—Joe Vardon, New York Times, 25 Dec. 2025
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
Getting the focus right is one of the bugaboos of using a telephoto lens for astrophotography, because the focus on such lenses is touchy and easily gets knocked off kilter.
—IEEE Spectrum, 28 Apr. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bugaboos
Noun
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The conductor described the offender as a Black male with a tan jacket, blue jeans, and short dreads.—
Jermont Terry,
CBS News,
8 Apr. 2026
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Mirror images except for the fact that Jelani has his hair in dreads, while Ari goes with the more retro-look afro.—
Chris Hays,
The Orlando Sentinel,
22 Feb. 2026
Noun
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But there’s a real satisfaction in watching Ohm figure out the suite’s unique conveniences, run by analog systems of pulleys and levers, confronting the terrors within and mastering them for his survival.—
Katie Walsh,
Twin Cities,
2 May 2026
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But there’s a real satisfaction in watching Ohm figure out the suite’s unique conveniences, run by analog systems of pulleys and levers, confronting the terrors within and mastering them for his survival.—
Katie Walsh,
Boston Herald,
1 May 2026
Noun
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This has been one of its main bugbears for years, with several engine types experimented with.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Apr. 2026
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The bugbears of this season — wasting promising chances (though Manchester United goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce deserves credit for many of those) and some vulnerability to counter-attacks — remained.—
Cerys Jones,
New York Times,
23 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Another kind of typhus, carried by lice and caused by the bacteria Rickettsia prowazekii, produced historic plagues that devastated populations during times of war, famine and poverty, the National Institutes for Health said.—
Don Sweeney
April 8,
Sacbee.com,
8 Apr. 2026
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Most references to the Arbat in the ancient chronicles are connected to fires, amid mention of invasions and plagues and noble births.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
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In another fates-or-hobgoblins moment, a discombobulated Washington had started a war.—
Daniel Immerwahr,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
Noun
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The nation’s capital is crawling with right-wing enemies of Social Security who would like nothing more.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
8 May 2026
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There's also an optional co-op mode, which allows two players to split the controls of the Arwing starfighter and other vehicles; one person pilots them while the other shoots at enemies.—
Fran Ruiz,
Space.com,
8 May 2026
Noun
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Vitello said postgame that Koss’ helmet cracked as a result of the bean ball, but Koss was in good spirits after the game.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
10 May 2026
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Right now, spirits are high because the overall box office is trending 16% ahead of last year, according to Comscore.—
Rebecca Rubin,
Variety,
10 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bugaboos.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bugaboos. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
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