as in dread
something or someone that causes fear or dread especially without reason
doing one's tax returns is a real bugaboo for a lot of people
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of bugaboo
And despite getting Anthony Rizzo to pop up for the second out, the long-ball bugaboo bit him against Volpe.
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Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2024
Durability is an age-old bugaboo of vaccine designers.
—Byjon Cohen, science.org, 11 Oct. 2024
Cusack is serial killer Robert Hansen, who murdered at least 17 women in the Alaskan bush; Cage is the cop trying to take him down, only to be stymied by that old movie bugaboo, lack of evidence.
—Emily Heller, Vulture, 12 July 2024
Carbon Dioxide is often vilified as a bugaboo greenhouse gas.
—Bruce Dorminey, Forbes, 20 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for bugaboo 
Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2024
Durability is an age-old bugaboo of vaccine designers.
—Byjon Cohen, science.org, 11 Oct. 2024
Cusack is serial killer Robert Hansen, who murdered at least 17 women in the Alaskan bush; Cage is the cop trying to take him down, only to be stymied by that old movie bugaboo, lack of evidence.
—Emily Heller, Vulture, 12 July 2024
Carbon Dioxide is often vilified as a bugaboo greenhouse gas.
—Bruce Dorminey, Forbes, 20 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for bugaboo
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bugaboo
Noun
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In a year of exuberance and dread, songs came from every which way to comfort, to amuse, to haunt, to tantalize.August Brown, Los Angeles Times, 10 Dec. 2024
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In addition, Head owns leading binding brand Tyrolia, and the Protector bindings are a major safety innovation and big deal in the marketplace, designed to help prevent knee injuries, a dread of skiers everywhere.Larry Olmsted, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2024
Noun
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The new Conservative government, intent on reducing the deficit, cut deep and broad, slashing spending not just on party bugbears like welfare but also on public budgets for investment.Josh Holder, New York Times, 3 July 2024
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Another bugbear on Teams can come if you’ve been invited to a pre-arranged meeting, or left a meeting partway through, but still receive notifications every time a message is typed into the chat box of the ongoing meeting.Chris Stokel-Walker, WIRED, 6 Dec. 2020
Noun
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Luigi Mangione already was charged with murder in the Dec. 4 killing of Brian Thompson, but the terror allegation is new.Jake Offenhartz and Jennifer Peltz, Los Angeles Times, 17 Dec. 2024
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Terrifier 3—the shock horror hit where Art the Clown brings terror to the Christmas season—is arriving on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD this week.Tim Lammers, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Needless to say, Orlok will make the trip to Wisborg — arriving in Germany like a plague, with Thomas all but crawling back home to his wife behind him — long before Western society will learn to accept that denying human desire is less a collective victory than a personal self-defeat.David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 2 Dec. 2024
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Otherwise, butterfly larvae would be like locusts, like a plague.Outside Online, Outside Online, 9 Oct. 2024
Noun
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In fact, Citigroup, while expecting a below-consensus 2.6% GDP pace, sees the inflation gauge hitting the 2% bogey for the quarter, a figure that could help cement a quarter-point reduction in the Fed’s benchmark lending rate when policymakers meet next week.Jeff Cox, CNBC, 29 Oct. 2024
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The defending Olympic champion bogeyed the first hole at Le Golf National with further bogeys following at holes four and seven.NBC News, NBC News, 8 Aug. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near bugaboo
Cite this Entry
“Bugaboo.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bugaboo. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
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