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

Three-pointer propensity and lack of defense are the two main bugaboos observers point to. —Ryan Morik, Fox News, 19 Dec. 2024

In all four games, the B’s were able to protect third-period leads, something that had been a bugaboo. —Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 2 Jan. 2024

So why do Democrats continue to target the Electoral College as their bugaboo? Laziness. —Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 19 Dec. 2024

Entry Passes To Nikola Jokic One of the ongoing bugaboos for the Nuggets through the course of the career of their three-time MVP and Finals MVP Nikola Jokic has been his teammates’ inability at times to simply feed him the ball in the post. —Joel Rush, Forbes, 3 Dec. 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