1
as in fairy
an imaginary being usually having a small human form and magical powers
in Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream, Puck is a hobgoblin who plays pranks such as spoiling milk and tripping old ladies
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in dread
something or someone that causes fear or dread especially without reason
the fear of success and the pressures that come with it can be more of a hobgoblin than the possibility of failure
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 hobgoblin
Sightings of the mythical Nain Rouge, a red hobgoblin or dwarf that appears on the eve of tragedy, date to Detroit's origin — and locals have reclaimed the spirit with an annual march to scare the demon away, according to tradition.
—
Detroit Free Press, 24 Mar. 2024
As Ralph Waldo Emerson might have said in an essay of the same name (and did), a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds; Tommy seems to feel his brain shrinking along with his life.
—John Anderson, WSJ, 9 Jan. 2024
Consistency is the hobgoblin of large language models.
—Brianne Kane, Scientific American, 29 Sep. 2023
The narrative unfolds communally around a table, with plenty of backtracking, retconning, and joking—and avoiding the small-minded hobgoblins of consistency and rules-lawyering.
—Ethan Gilsdorf, WIRED, 27 June 2023
See All Example Sentences for hobgoblin
Detroit Free Press, 24 Mar. 2024
As Ralph Waldo Emerson might have said in an essay of the same name (and did), a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds; Tommy seems to feel his brain shrinking along with his life.
—John Anderson, WSJ, 9 Jan. 2024
Consistency is the hobgoblin of large language models.
—Brianne Kane, Scientific American, 29 Sep. 2023
The narrative unfolds communally around a table, with plenty of backtracking, retconning, and joking—and avoiding the small-minded hobgoblins of consistency and rules-lawyering.
—Ethan Gilsdorf, WIRED, 27 June 2023
See All Example Sentences for hobgoblin
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hobgoblin
Noun
-
From dreamy fairy shimmer that feels perfect for date night, to sultry wine tones that look just right wrapped around a glass of merlot at Sunday dinner, these nails are setting the mood for the season.—
Essence,
Essence,
2 Sep. 2025
-
Incurring the wrath of the fairy folk for spilling milk, that’s what.—
Lincee Ray Published,
EW.com,
22 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The Wax Child is about the dread of living in brutal hierarchies, and the shapes that friendship and protection take to counteract these grim realities.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Sep. 2025
-
But on a day when Mizzou amassed 595 total yards, converted 4 of 5 fourth downs and got an excellent effort from first-year starting quarterback Beau Pribula, surrendering possession had to fill Kansas followers with a sense of dread.—
Blair Kerkhoff,
Kansas City Star,
7 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Meanwhile, the virtuous, near-immortal elves of Lothlórien are depicted living peacefully in a realm of lush flora and elaborate tree-houses.—
Ellen Walker,
JSTOR Daily,
3 Sep. 2025
-
This time it was set in a fantasy world where the player controls an elf whose race is fighting off hordes of otherworldly monsters.—
Joshua Lamb,
Forbes.com,
1 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Leigh Gill is set to play Griphook, after his brief appearance as another goblin, Red, in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.—
Shania Russell,
EW.com,
1 Sep. 2025
-
At their largest, Orchestina goblin spiders are about one-tenth of an inch long — smaller than a grain of rice.—
Lauren Liebhaber,
Miami Herald,
28 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Starring Mike Myers as a lone-wolf ogre, the film filtered familiar storybook icons through a farcical lens.—
Skyler Trepel September 1,
EW.com,
1 Sep. 2025
-
Yes, the warrior who fought wizards, ogres and various other monsters in the Roger Corman-produced 1983 sword and sorcery cult classic is back on the big screen.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Later, of course, it was revealed that a quite human dwarf was hidden within the machine, directing the Turk’s gameplay.—
Adam Verner
September 3,
Literary Hub,
3 Sep. 2025
-
The shrub grows 6 to 15 feet tall; there are dwarf, medium-sized, and tall varieties.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
24 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
This was a bugbear most prominently highlighted in the case of the U.S. naval surveillance activities in Chinese EEZ in particular.—
Ryan Chan,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Aug. 2025
-
Defense spending has been a thorny subject for NATO members for years, and a persistent bugbear for Trump.—
Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
5 June 2025
Noun
-
London — Large crowds of people protesting the British government’s decision to ban the activist group Palestine Action gathered in London’s Parliament Square on Saturday, in a show of continuing support since it was designated as a terror organization in July.—
Kara Fox,
CNN Money,
6 Sep. 2025
-
For Bear, the new arrangement is great about 99 percent of the time… the only drawback is that Nikki occasionally snaps back into her old self and screams in utter terror for a few seconds, before resuming the love-bombing.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
6 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hobgoblin.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hobgoblin. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share