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
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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
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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
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Add in details like windowpanes by carving them out yourself, or use items from a fairy garden kit to add doors, window frames, and decorations.—
Sophia Beams,
Better Homes & Gardens,
18 Sep. 2025
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The space, outfitted with rugs, colorful beanbags, fairy lights, books and sensory activities, is open to all students during recess and used for counseling groups and one-on-one sessions during the day.—
Hanna Kang,
Oc Register,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
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In this case, there’s that feeling of dread.—
Josh Weiss,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
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Yeah, there’s just a dread, isn’t there?—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The special will be made available on Disney+ the following day, and the elves will head to ABC’s shelves later in the season.—
Tony Maglio,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Sep. 2025
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Falling on Santa’s Naughty or Nice list used to be a call made by Santa and his elves.—
Rebecca Angel Baer,
Southern Living,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Some say the cave system would have connected the goblins from Hopkinsville to Hellier.—
Marina Johnson,
Louisville Courier Journal,
18 Sep. 2025
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Tasked with solving Jareth’s labyrinth to secure Toby’s safety, Sarah races against time to defeat the goblin’s trickster army.—
Declan Gallagher,
EW.com,
13 Sep. 2025
Noun
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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
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But when the island’s prince is kidnapped, an unlikely alliance of an ogre, hag, wizard and fey will have only days to sneak around London to save him.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
30 Aug. 2025
Noun
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More than ten acres of dwarf variety apple trees.—
Cheryl V. Jackson,
IndyStar,
22 Sep. 2025
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Now, Paudel and his team are searching for more of these runaway dwarf galaxies.—
Sharmila Kuthunur,
Space.com,
19 Sep. 2025
Noun
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And indulging Trump on Kim could help Lee downplay bugbears with Seoul.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
17 Sep. 2025
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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
Noun
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Antifa is now a 'domestic terror group' Trump declared Antifa a domestic terror organization in a new White House Executive Order signed Monday evening.—
Richard Hall,
Time,
27 Sep. 2025
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He was charged with having a weapon at a public assembly or rally and going armed to the terror of people, both misdemeanors.—
Peter D'Abrosca,
FOXNews.com,
27 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hobgoblin.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hobgoblin. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
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