1
as in dreads
something or someone that causes fear or dread especially without reason
communism was once the nation's biggest bugbear
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in headaches
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bugbears
Noun
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Other introspective angles are explored during Mariano’s audiences with his friend the Pope (Rufin Doh Zeyenouin), a serene Black man with a head crowned by a bundle of silver dreads, who tools around the Vatican on a motorbike.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
At the higher doses, most people had brief hallucinations or visual distortions, along with some nausea and headaches.—
Dr. Christian S. Monsalve,
ABC News,
4 Sep. 2025
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The exhausted teen has headaches and blurred vision sleeps about 75% of the day.—
Wendy Grossman Kantor,
PEOPLE,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The violence, however, is nothing compared to the overall creature effects with the show’s new cast of extraterrestrial terrors.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
25 Aug. 2025
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Less accomplished drivers experiencing one of Renault’s tiny terrors (nearly a foot shorter than the original Mazda Miata) for the first time will be delighted, but soon realize that the car’s close-ratio gearbox demands that the engine be revved, and turbo lag comes along for every ride.—
Robert Ross,
Robb Report,
8 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
For Wilson, her story starts like that of many who face the same frustrations, but few who use their magic to turn them into solutions.—
Essence,
Essence,
4 Sep. 2025
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Their frustrations with current solutions point to future opportunities.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
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But according to Aaron Shmulewitz, a real-estate lawyer, the process for dealing with a repeat window flasher in your co-op isn’t all that different from other nuisances like someone across the hall blasting metal music at midnight.—
Matthew Sedacca,
Curbed,
15 Aug. 2025
Noun
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One was treated for minor injuries, likely from rose-bush thorns, Christensen said.—
David Goodhue,
Miami Herald,
22 Aug. 2025
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Both the northern and southern branches of the reef have been battered lately by tropical storms and the encroachment of invasive coral-eating crown-of-thorns starfish, but heat stress driven by warming oceans is the primary cause, scientists told the BBC.—
Liz Hoffman,
semafor.com,
7 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Dealing with internal conflicts of identity while being threatened by external enemies is not unique to Israel.—
Ron Scherf,
Time,
5 Sep. 2025
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In the scope of housework, hard water stains are high on the list of public enemies in my home.—
Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott,
Southern Living,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Minor annoyances suddenly widen into a chasm neither can cross.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
29 Aug. 2025
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Overgrown weeds, overhanging branches, litter, loud noises — all of these annoyances might come from your Milwaukee neighbor, but not every complaint should go to the same place.—
Quinn Clark,
jsonline.com,
20 Aug. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Bugbears.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bugbears. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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