bugaboo

noun

bug·​a·​boo ˈbə-gə-ˌbü 

plural bugaboos

1

: an imaginary object of fear

2

: bugbear sense 2

also : something that causes fear or distress out of proportion to its importance

Synonyms

• bête noire
• black beast
• bogey
• bogie
• bogy
• bugbear
• dread
• hobgoblin
• ogre

Examples of bugaboo in a Sentence

politicians complaining about that old bugaboo, high oil prices

doing one's tax returns is a real bugaboo for a lot of people

Recent Examples on the Web

The bugaboos have been controlling his high walk rate and limiting hard contact, something both the White Sox and Dodgers felt was tied to predictable pitch usage. —Fabian Ardaya, The Athletic, 6 Aug. 2024

The losing side failed to clear 70 points in all three of those contests, and offensive rebounds — the bugaboo of the 2023 U.S. World Cup team — were pivotal (and incredibly frequent) in two of them. —John Hollinger, The Athletic, 16 July 2024

Nevada was hindered by poor free-throw shooting, a bugaboo in recent games. —San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Feb. 2024

An eternal bugaboo of mine in the two years of writing these rankings has been finding a third or fourth SEC team to consistently place in the top 25. —Sabreena Merchant, The Athletic, 8 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

earlier buggybow, bugger-bo, of unknown origin

First Known Use

1598, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

bugaboo

noun

bug·​a·​boo ˈbəg-ə-ˌbü 

plural bugaboos

: bugbear sense 2, bogey