Thesaurus results for HOBGOBLIN

hobgoblin

noun

ˈhäb-ˌgäb-lən

as in fairy

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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as in dread

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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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 hobgoblin Consistency is the hobgoblin of large language models. —

Brianne Kane, Scientific American, 29 Sep. 2023 While the community might celebrate the hobgoblin’s induction into Detroit culture, Detroiters must always keep watch for when the Nain Rouge returns and provokes disaster. —

Kylie Martin, Detroit Free Press, 8 Aug. 2023 The narrative unfolds communally around a table, with plenty of backtracking, retconning, and joking—and avoiding the small-minded hobgoblins of consistency and rules-lawyering. —

Ethan Gilsdorf, WIRED, 27 June 2023 Consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds. —

John Pearley Huffman, Car and Driver, 4 Feb. 2022 See all Example Sentences for hobgoblin

Recent Examples of Synonyms for hobgoblin

Noun

Over the course of January 2025, Williams watched in dread as social media videos and news coverage emerged showing Southern California residents whose homes had been destroyed sifting through the rubble unmasked.

— Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 30 Jan. 2025
Green takes care with set-up and establishes good anticipatory dread, but doesn’t leave enough time to deliver on the horror.

— Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Jan. 2025