hobgoblins

noun

plural of hobgoblin
1
as in elves
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 dreads
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 hobgoblins In another fates-or-hobgoblins moment, a discombobulated Washington had started a war. — Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hobgoblins
  1. elves
  2. dreads
  3. fairies
  4. terrors
  5. goblins
  6. ogres
  7. dwarfs
  8. spirits
Noun
  • Reading allows children to live in a vibrant world, surrounded by fairies, elves and talking animals, transporting them to places where the impossible becomes real.
    — Michelle Kearney, The Conversation, 7 July 2026
  • Ferrell starred as Buddy in the 2003 Christmas classic, which focused on a human adopted by elves and raised as an elf in the North Pole until one day, as an adult, discovering his true identity.
    — Virginia Chamlee, PEOPLE, 1 July 2026
Definition of elves
Noun
  • He's described by officials as a Black male in his late teens with a medium-large build and thick dreads.
    — Nick Lentz, CBS News, 15 June 2026
  • Mirror images except for the fact that Jelani has his hair in dreads, while Ari goes with the more retro-look afro.
    — Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Feb. 2026
Definition of dreads
Noun
  • Reading allows children to live in a vibrant world, surrounded by fairies, elves and talking animals, transporting them to places where the impossible becomes real.
    — Michelle Kearney, The Conversation, 7 July 2026
  • Lawn Ornaments Too many lawn ornaments, such as gnomes, fairies, dolls, or flamingos, read as tacky to Emily Roose, the founder of Emily Roose Interiors.
    — Sarah Lyon, The Spruce, 23 June 2026
Definition of fairies
Noun
  • But above all, this page-turner by one of today’s great nonfiction writers is alert to the glories and terrors of daily inner life.
    — The Week US, TheWeek, 8 July 2026
  • Filmed in Technicolor, its visual effects were truly groundbreaking, as the movie imagined alien terrors that, before then, had only been possible on the page or on radio.
    — Richard Edwards, Space.com, 4 July 2026
Definition of terrors
Noun
  • Two years ago, the Man City phenom appeared in a 90-second spot for the game that saw him get recruited to storm a castle teeming with goblins, dragons and impish skeletons.
    — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 26 June 2026
  • Follow the babe with the power into Jim Henson’s gloriously weird fantasy wonderland, where goblins sing, doors argue, and David Bowie’s Goblin King serves enough glam-rock charisma to power an entire kingdom.
    — Arushi Jacob, Variety, 24 June 2026
Definition of goblins
Noun
  • People are turned into wolves, there are ogres and undead creatures of the sea who lure others to their demise.
    — Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 7 June 2026
  • 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
Definition of ogres
Noun
  • And the question is whether the planets even have atmospheres, because M dwarfs are quite active.
    — Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 9 July 2026
  • As virality goes, this is not a big number, but the passion that the account has aroused dwarfs its reach.
    — David Kamp, New Yorker, 29 June 2026
Definition of dwarfs
Noun
  • Camilla appeared in good spirits despite the recent royal drama surrounding Prince Harry and his visit to the United Kingdom.
    — Jennifer Hassan, USA Today, 8 July 2026
  • Christie’s similarly posted its best results ever for wine and spirits sales.
    — George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 8 July 2026
Definition of spirits

Browse Nearby Words

hobgoblin
hobgoblins
hobnob
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hobgoblins.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hobgoblins. Accessed 11 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on hobgoblins

Nglish: Translation of hobgoblins for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of xeric

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 10
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
banana-mirrored
Contradictory Words Quiz Pick out which word means one thing…and the opp...
See All