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

Examples of hobgoblin in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web While the community might celebrate the hobgoblin’s induction into Detroit culture, Detroiters must always keep watch for when the Nain Rouge returns and provokes disaster. Kylie Martin, Detroit Free Press, 8 Aug. 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 Consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds. John Pearley Huffman, Car and Driver, 4 Feb. 2022 Powell & Co are now eyeing consumer service prices as the latest hobgoblin to hound. Gary Drenik, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2022 See all Example Sentences for hobgoblin 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hobgoblin.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Podcast

Thesaurus Entries Near hobgoblin

Cite this Entry

“Hobgoblin.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hobgoblin. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on hobgoblin

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!