1
as in dwarves
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
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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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hobgoblins
Noun
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Other introspective angles are explored during Mariano’s audiences with his friend the Pope (Rufin Doh Zeyenouin), a serene Black man with a head crowned by a bundle of silver dreads, who tools around the Vatican on a motorbike.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The lottery fairies have given you more time.—
Enquirer staff,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
18 Aug. 2025
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While the indoor show will be missing the trees and outdoor ambiance, DeLancett and Hayes worked to craft photo ops with mermaids, fairies, wizards and birds of prey.—
Patrick Connolly,
The Orlando Sentinel,
12 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The violence, however, is nothing compared to the overall creature effects with the show’s new cast of extraterrestrial terrors.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
25 Aug. 2025
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Less accomplished drivers experiencing one of Renault’s tiny terrors (nearly a foot shorter than the original Mazda Miata) for the first time will be delighted, but soon realize that the car’s close-ratio gearbox demands that the engine be revved, and turbo lag comes along for every ride.—
Robert Ross,
Robb Report,
8 Aug. 2025
Noun
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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
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All of the workers who are playing the elves have either been killed in horrible ways or beheaded, and their heads are used as tree toppers, and their intestines are strung on the Christmas trees.—
Simon Thompson,
Forbes.com,
22 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Shrek and Fiona are now both full-time ogres, but Fiona’s parents (John Cleese and Julie Andrews) aren’t too thrilled, as a particularly tense family dinner scene makes clear.—
Skyler Trepel September 1,
EW.com,
1 Sep. 2025
Noun
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To some, the creatures that purportedly visited Kelly — about eight miles north of Hopkinsville — became known as goblins.—
Josh Wood,
The Courier-Journal,
6 Aug. 2025
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A lot of the folktales referenced in Rabbit Trap are drawn from this one text from 1880, called British Goblins, from an American anthropologist called Wirt Sikes, who traveled through Wales, collected stories and sightings of goblins and fairies.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
31 Jan. 2025
Noun
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But the new film, set in 1986, finds the Warrens dealing with a bunch of personal matters, as well as a Pennsylvania family haunted by a mirror cursed with malevolent spirits.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
3 Sep. 2025
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Founded in London in 1969, the IWSC is renowned for its rigorous blind tastings and expert judging panels, which annually evaluate thousands of entries across all major spirits categories.—
Joseph V Micallef,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Dealing with internal conflicts of identity while being threatened by external enemies is not unique to Israel.—
Ron Scherf,
Time,
5 Sep. 2025
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In the scope of housework, hard water stains are high on the list of public enemies in my home.—
Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott,
Southern Living,
5 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Hobgoblins.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hobgoblins. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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