1
as in dread
something or someone that causes fear or dread especially without reason
communism was once the nation's biggest bugbear
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in headache
something that is a source of irritation
hated all the bugbears of modern life, especially those long commutes to work
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bugbear
One of Trump’s biggest bugbears is the U.S. trade deficits with a number of key trading partners, including Canada and the EU.
—
Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 12 Mar. 2025
The fiscal policy has proved to be a persistent political bugbear for Berlin, with arguments between parties over the extent to which the debt brake ensures responsible spending, or limits growth and investment.
—Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 24 Feb. 2025
To attribute the corrosion of institutional trust to such bugbears as relativism or postmodernism is to ignore explanations that are both more concrete and more parsimonious.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2025
Kevin Lamarque | Reuters As U.S. President Donald Trump looks to immediately fix his greatest political and economic bugbears, the thorny issue of NATO defense spending is likely to quickly return to the global fore.
—Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 23 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bugbear
Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 12 Mar. 2025
The fiscal policy has proved to be a persistent political bugbear for Berlin, with arguments between parties over the extent to which the debt brake ensures responsible spending, or limits growth and investment.
—Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 24 Feb. 2025
To attribute the corrosion of institutional trust to such bugbears as relativism or postmodernism is to ignore explanations that are both more concrete and more parsimonious.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2025
Kevin Lamarque | Reuters As U.S. President Donald Trump looks to immediately fix his greatest political and economic bugbears, the thorny issue of NATO defense spending is likely to quickly return to the global fore.
—Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 23 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bugbear
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bugbear
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
-
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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While the flu shot can cause redness and soreness at the injection site, as well as fever, muscle aches, headache and fatigue, FluMist can cause flu-like symptoms, including runny nose, congestion, sore throat, cough, fever, and muscle aches.—
Alice Park,
Time,
15 Aug. 2025
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Residents report constant running noses, headaches and sore throats.—
Laura Paddison,
CNN Money,
15 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Considering the convergence of current cultural bugaboos on deck here—race, class, cancel culture, immigration—The Uproar mostly wears its topicality lightly, preferring the granular pull of human drama to editorial hectoring or lectures.—
Book Marks
June 26,
Literary Hub,
26 June 2025
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And in May, reporting revealed the charity had dropped commitments to housing and homelessness nonprofits, including many focused on MAGA’s biggest bugaboos: racial equity and economic inclusion.—
Max Taves,
Mercury News,
11 July 2025
Noun
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Nearly ten months later, that tycoon Jimmy Lai – a pro-democracy firebrand and persistent thorn in Beijing’s side – remains behind bars.—
Nectar Gan,
CNN Money,
13 Aug. 2025
-
Turnover remains a thorn in the retail industry’s side.—
Michael Spataro,
Forbes.com,
11 Aug. 2025
Noun
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If hosts are found to advertise as a party location or become a chronic nuisance to the neighborhood, Airbnb may remove the listing or force the host to update occupancy numbers.—
Keely Doll,
Louisville Courier Journal,
1 Aug. 2025
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Here’s how to discourage squirrels from becoming a nuisance in your home and garden.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
1 Aug. 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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Trump's frustration with Putin appeared to be building as Moscow expanded its ground and long-range strike operations in recent months.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
15 Aug. 2025
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Trump in recent weeks has expressed frustration with Russia as the war continues, and Friday's meeting could have key implication for peace talks as well as Russia-U.S. relations.—
Andrew Stanton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Sailing teaches us that being an honorable competitor is more important than being a top competitor because while every race is there to lose, luck is the omnipresent hobgoblin.—
Conor Mastromarco,
Baltimore Sun,
18 Nov. 2024
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Gleeson’s Puck is a malevolent hobgoblin who serves as the royal jester to King Auberon of Faerie.—
Denise Petski,
Deadline,
2 July 2024
Cite this Entry
“Bugbear.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bugbear. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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