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
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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
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Recent Examples of Synonyms for hobgoblins
Noun
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The new version will still have the traditional arrow counting down the days to the holiday but also will include moving elves who are helping prepare things for Christmas.
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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.
Noun
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He's described by officials as a Black male in his late teens with a medium-large build and thick dreads.
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Mirror images except for the fact that Jelani has his hair in dreads, while Ari goes with the more retro-look afro.
Noun
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And creatures — fairies, a faun, the unforgettable Pale Man, with eyes in the palms of his hands — reveal a world of deeper and darker enchantment.
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According to traditional folklore, finding a ring of mushrooms on your property means that fairies have been at work.
Noun
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The year since has been one of night-terrors and grief for the families who lost loved ones.
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Coming later this year, Bass X Macina is set in a lawless Steampunk West overrun by brutal outlaws, machines and supernatural terrors, while Sparks of Tomorrow follows how technological progress evolved along a different path shaped by steam power blankets Kyoto in smoke.
Noun
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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.
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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.
Noun
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People are turned into wolves, there are ogres and undead creatures of the sea who lure others to their demise.
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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.
Noun
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Brown dwarfs are weird objects that have masses that are intermediate between those of giant planets and small stars.
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Writer Steve Phillips’ investments in the race dwarfs spending by any other single donor.
Noun
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Thank you for a plethora of news on June 17 that didn’t crush our spirits.
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As one of the world’s largest spirits conglomerates, the company certainly had access to some choice, well-aged stocks.
Cite this Entry
“Hobgoblins.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hobgoblins. Accessed 27 Jun. 2026.
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