BUGBEAR Synonyms: 99 Similar and Opposite Words

bugbear

noun

ˈbəg-ˌber

Definition of bugbear

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

Relevance

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of bugbear This has been one of its main bugbears for years, with several engine types experimented with. — Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 25 Apr. 2026 Timings, though, can often be a bugbear. — Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026 The turbulence created in a car’s wake is the eternal bugbear of F1 fans and rulemakers. — ABC News, 4 Mar. 2026 Take The Mandibles, a book that revolves around the national debt, long a bugbear of hers. — Adelle Waldman, The Atlantic, 10 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for bugbear

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bugbear

Noun

Sometime after midnight, Hood felt a sense of dread that didn’t let up until the early morning hours.

— Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 22 Aug. 2026
Both movies share more than a few qualities, notably the same love of infinite interzones and the same flavor of exponentially increasing existential dread.

— David Fear, Rolling Stone, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of dread

Noun

These include a severe or persistent headache, changes in vision such as blurred vision or seeing spots, pain in the upper abdomen, significant swelling of the face or hands, shortness of breath, and nausea or vomiting later in pregnancy.

— Faye Chiu, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026
But in some cases, West Nile can reach the brain and cause extreme headaches, meningitis, tremors, convulsions and paralysis.

— Mary Randolph, Scientific American, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of headache

Noun

This thing of like trying to paint a certain type or color or class of people as the enemy and the great bugaboo in America?

— Jim Ryan, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026
If there’s any big bugaboo in his profile, he can be beaten by higher-end velocity, but his ability to adjust to secondary offerings keeps him afloat.

— Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 10 June 2026

Definition of bugaboo

Noun

Baydon's tattoo needle is a spiky thorn of a pomelo tree attached to a thin bamboo reed.

— Marisol Delarosa, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Aug. 2026
That would be, of course, the dozen attorneys general led by California’s Rob Bonta, whose antitrust lawsuit last month seeking to block the merger has been a thorn in Ellison’s side.

— Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of thorn

Noun

Therefore, the state-level attorney general might opt to bring a legal charge of public nuisance against an AI maker and their AI.

— Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2026
Golden State’s stellar defense has quickly developed a reputation for being a nuisance against top guards in particular.

— Christian Babcock, Mercury News, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of nuisance

Noun

The Dodgers are baseball's enemy because their ownership group has shown a willingness to win, and their front office is smart enough to do so.

— Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Likewise, battlefield commanders often need urgent response plans to enemy attacks, something AI can help with.

— Emelia S. Probasco, Foreign Affairs, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of enemy

Noun

That ambiguity is echoed in Banks’ score, which takes on the tone of a lament and a celebration, frustration and hope, struggle and liberation, the quest for transcendence in the face of the challenges posed by daunting inequities.

— George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Aug. 2026
The move follows efforts by Pinterest and LinkedIn to respond to users’ frustrations with AI slop in their feeds.

— Clare Duffy, CNN Money, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of frustration

Browse Nearby Words

bugaboos

bugbear

bugbears

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“Bugbear.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bugbear. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of bugbear

noun

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