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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hobgoblin
Gleeson’s Puck is a malevolent hobgoblin who serves as the royal jester to King Auberon of Faerie.
—
Denise Petski, Deadline, 2 July 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for hobgoblin
Denise Petski, Deadline, 2 July 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for hobgoblin
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hobgoblin
Noun
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Had my mother arranged these dragons to meet the fairy on our path?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 May 2026
-
Creative touches have been placed throughout, so visitors will want to keep an eye out for the fairy gardens and fairy homes under various plants.—
Elizabeth Marie Himchak,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026
Noun
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After three seasons of almost nothing but dread and sorrow, the NBA’s most woebegone franchise, for generations, finally had a moment to celebrate.—
David Aldridge,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
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After his teenage son goes missing, Daniel combs the depths of the Vistula River day and night, caught in a grueling, endless routine and torn between the dread of a fatal leap and the fragile hope that his son may still be alive.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
6 May 2026
Noun
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There’s also caviar and cookies and Christmas trees and Housewives and Bravolebrities, all surrounded by twink elves in Christmas G-strings.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
4 May 2026
-
The company behind that trio of elves, some of the most iconic mascots in pop culture, is the same corporation that put breakfast on the table in the first place.—
Heather Bushman,
USA Today,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
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In recent weeks, social media users, especially on X, have been noticing increasing references to goblins, along with other fantasy creatures such as gremlins, ogres and trolls in ChatGPT’s answers to user queries.—
Rob Wile,
NBC news,
30 Apr. 2026
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But the only ogre in this story is Dahl.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
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OpenAI leaned into the curious habit, choosing to highlight the goblin-forbidding prompt in a tweet.—
Frank Landymore,
Futurism,
30 Apr. 2026
-
The maker of ChatGPT has an explanation for all the goblin talk.—
Rob Wile,
NBC news,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Eduardo Rodrigues Cavalcante, a receptionist at a hotel adjacent to the school, described scenes of terror, as some students tried to jump over a wall separating the school from the hotel.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
6 May 2026
-
Kellison plays Bennett, a high-energy terror.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
6 May 2026
Noun
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Select dwarf or short varieties that thrive in the confines of a large container, at least 14 inches wide.—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
9 May 2026
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Plant lavender in well-draining terracotta pots and consider dwarf varieties like ‘Thumbelina Leigh’ and ‘Munstead’ for smaller pots.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
9 May 2026
Noun
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This has been one of its main bugbears for years, with several engine types experimented with.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Apr. 2026
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Timings, though, can often be a bugbear.—
Philip Buckingham,
New York Times,
5 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hobgoblin.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hobgoblin. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
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