1
as in dread
something or someone that causes fear or dread especially without reason
doing my own tax return is the bête noire that haunts me every April
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in enemy
something or someone that is hated
in that organization's view, society's number one bête noire should be the drunk driver of a motor vehicle
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of bête noire
There’s plenty of satisfying comic justice to come when Salieri is left alone to his own devices — and to spend a lot of climactic alone time with the audience — long after his bete noire is gone.
—
Chris Willman, Variety, 27 Feb. 2026
David Warner, like his bete noire Broad, was involved in 2023 but has retired since.
—Darren Richman, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2025
The illiberal Hungarian prime minister is the bete noire of the European Union, a beloved hero to a major segment of the U.S. right and most vocal statesman among nationalists in the West.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024
Others also pointed to a 2010 Bon Jovi gig in Tokyo that featured images of the Dalai Lama – Beijing’s bete noire – on the stage background.
—Heather Chen, CNN, 10 Feb. 2024
Wilt Chamberlain, Russell’s friend and lifelong bete noire, tried to slow down the game by taking Russell one-on-one in half-court sets that put the massive, absurdly gifted Wilt square in the post.
—Corbin Smith, Rolling Stone, 8 Feb. 2023
The food stylist's bete noire turned out to be foam.
—Clark Collis, EW.com, 3 Oct. 2022
To some Republican participants in the hearing, the whole thing seemed like an opportunity to take easy shots at outlets like Fox News, long a bete noire of the liberal and Democratic establishment.
—Andy Meek, Forbes, 5 Mar. 2021
Final approval rests with Italian President Sergio Mattarella—a respected figure in Italy’s establishment and another bete noire of the League and 5 Star Movement.
—WSJ, 11 Feb. 2019
Chris Willman, Variety, 27 Feb. 2026
David Warner, like his bete noire Broad, was involved in 2023 but has retired since.
—Darren Richman, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2025
The illiberal Hungarian prime minister is the bete noire of the European Union, a beloved hero to a major segment of the U.S. right and most vocal statesman among nationalists in the West.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024
Others also pointed to a 2010 Bon Jovi gig in Tokyo that featured images of the Dalai Lama – Beijing’s bete noire – on the stage background.
—Heather Chen, CNN, 10 Feb. 2024
Wilt Chamberlain, Russell’s friend and lifelong bete noire, tried to slow down the game by taking Russell one-on-one in half-court sets that put the massive, absurdly gifted Wilt square in the post.
—Corbin Smith, Rolling Stone, 8 Feb. 2023
The food stylist's bete noire turned out to be foam.
—Clark Collis, EW.com, 3 Oct. 2022
To some Republican participants in the hearing, the whole thing seemed like an opportunity to take easy shots at outlets like Fox News, long a bete noire of the liberal and Democratic establishment.
—Andy Meek, Forbes, 5 Mar. 2021
Final approval rests with Italian President Sergio Mattarella—a respected figure in Italy’s establishment and another bete noire of the League and 5 Star Movement.
—WSJ, 11 Feb. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bête noire
Noun
-
Finding the police at our place, then, wasn’t really a surprise, and my pulse returned to its usual rhythm, oddly calmed by the fact that the dread had finally left my heart.—
Andrea Bajani,
New Yorker,
7 June 2026
-
The prospect of voters heading to the polls in November to decide whether to give themselves a break on their property taxes has put cities in South Florida and across the state on edge, triggering alarm and dread.—
Susannah Bryan,
Sun Sentinel,
6 June 2026
Noun
-
Because the Russian commanders keep attacking anyway, the Ukrainians are killing and wounding thousands of enemy soldiers, perhaps as many as 30,000, every month.—
Anne Applebaum,
The Atlantic,
7 June 2026
-
Hunger and disease are always enemies that accompany war and sometimes can claim more lives than the fighting itself.—
William Lambers,
Hartford Courant,
6 June 2026
Noun
-
It may be stopped because one student speaks up, one parent pays attention, one friend refuses to stay silent, one faith leader reaches out, or one community decides that preventing hate is everyone’s responsibility.—
Michael Brunker,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 May 2026
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The indictment alleges that the group, which is best known for its work to oppose the Ku Klux Klan, lied to donors about paying confidential informants to infiltrate hate groups and deceived banks about the bank accounts used to make those payments.—
Sarah N. Lynch,
CBS News,
26 May 2026
Noun
-
These findings echo a broader pattern political scientists call affective polarization: the replacement of disagreement with abhorrence.—
Manvir Singh,
New Yorker,
27 Oct. 2025
-
When human decency and basic civility fall victim to partisanship and ideology, and abhorrence of violence becomes tempered by political aims, monstrosities and tyrannies become possible.—
Michael Bloomberg,
Twin Cities,
24 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Alexander Kazakov | Afp | Getty Images That Russia and China are seen as ideologically aligned on many geopolitical issues, with each sharing a traditional antipathy and distrust towards the West, and Washington.—
Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
20 May 2026
-
Faced with widespread antipathy, those mainstream forces have been hammered by the electorate, with voters increasingly turning to the Greens and Reform, as well as Plaid and the SNP in Wales and Scotland.—
Alexander Smith,
NBC news,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
Plaskolite was cited for causing a public nuisance, according to AQMD documents.—
Jason Henry,
Oc Register,
30 May 2026
-
When to See a Doctor For the vast majority of new parents, dry skin is a temporary, frustrating nuisance that resolves as your hormones stabilize and your body adjusts to its new rhythm.—
Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal,
Parents,
28 May 2026
Noun
-
Yes, the first season of Big Brother was an abomination.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 June 2026
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But Spotify appears to not have expected the intense reaction from many of its users about the sudden appearance of the disco ball — with many slamming it as a visual abomination.—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
18 May 2026
Noun
-
But for other Democrats, any kind of a tax hike is anathema in an election year.—
Jeremy Gorner,
Chicago Tribune,
30 May 2026
-
Each of those individually is probably anathema to some Ferrari fans, never mind all three together.—
Jonathan M. Gitlin,
ArsTechnica,
26 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bête noire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/b%C3%AAte%20noire. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
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