1
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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2
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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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of hobgoblin
Consistency is the hobgoblin of large language models.
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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 
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
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But there is a sense of dread at times, particularly with headlines.Michael Cox, The Athletic, 21 Dec. 2024
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There were fewer pickups, more layoffs, tight budgets, high expectations and a general sense of dread that consumed what had been a thriving community of entertainment creatives.Peter White, Deadline, 19 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Two plush spiders were placed beside an elf hanging upside down from the white material.Zoey Lyttle, People.com, 25 Dec. 2024
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Sports fans in the UK can technically start their Sunday with some NBA at a time when only Santa’s hard-working elves should be awake, limbering up for the marathon ahead.Eduardo Tansley, The Athletic, 22 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Across spending categories, ghouls and goblins will spend the most holiday funds on candy, with total spending expected to reach $3.5 billion.Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024
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Spooktacular Hot Air Balloon Festival More than 20 frightfully fun hot air balloons will serve as trick-or-treat stations for little ghouls and goblins.Jessica Boehm, Axios, 24 Oct. 2024
Noun
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But that didn’t stop DreamWorks co-founder Jeffrey Katzenberg from pitching him the chance to voice a a big green ogre.Zack Sharf, Variety, 4 Dec. 2024
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In it, dozens of people dressed as knights, centaurs, and ogres participate in medieval LARPing while Webster, her face painted like a goblin, plays guitar in the center of the field.Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 2 Oct. 2024
Noun
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Emperor tamarins are dwarf monkeys with whiskers that resemble a white moustache.Robert Higgs, cleveland, 1 Feb. 2023
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The dwarf variety grows to be about 5 to 7 feet, ideal for a small garden or accent in a room with limited space.Bryce Jones, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Jan. 2023
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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The 10/7 terror attack and subsequent war against Hamas has coarsened the Israeli psyche.Ben Krull, New York Daily News, 29 Dec. 2024
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The film’s second half goes in for horror-movie shock effects when the ghost of a white nemesis haunts the Charles family — bringing back the terrors of slavery — and the talisman piano becomes an instrument of exorcism.Armond White, National Review, 27 Dec. 2024
Noun
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The Unseelie Court is the bastion of malevolent faeries who harm humans for their amusement or to exact revenge.Erik Kain, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2024
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That’s in addition to the strange creatures that roam the countryside such as faeries and dragon.Rob Wieland, Forbes, 6 Nov. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Hobgoblin.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hobgoblin. Accessed 6 Jan. 2025.
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