bugbear

noun

bug·​bear ˈbəg-ˌber 

1

: an imaginary goblin or specter used to excite fear

2

a

: an object or source of dread

b

: a continuing source of irritation : problem

Did you know?

Just as peanuts are neither peas nor nuts (they are legumes), bugbears are neither bugs nor bears, but a secret, third thing. Not so secret that we won’t share it with you, however. Let’s start with the bug in bugbear, which refers not to an insect, but instead comes from the Middle English word bugge. This bugge was used for all kinds of imaginary spooky creatures—from ghosts and goblins to scarecrows—that cause fright or dread. In the 1500s this bug was combined with bear (as in the animal) to form bugbear, even though there is little evidence that either a bug or bugbear took an ursine form. In fact, based on its earliest known uses, bugbear began as an all-purpose word for things that cause fear or dread, not just supernatural beasties. This sense is still in use today, alongside the closely related sense of “a continuing source of irritation or annoyance.” Use of the “hobgoblin” sense of bugbear appears to have begun slightly later, though it, too, persists to the present day, notably as the name of a hulking creature in the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons.

Synonyms

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

Examples of bugbear in a Sentence

The biggest bugbear of the skiing business is a winter with no snow.

communism was once the nation's biggest bugbear

Recent Examples on the Web

Those claims play into concerns about government overreach, a common right-wing bugbear. —Ben Guarino, Scientific American, 11 Oct. 2024

Players customize their characters’ abilities and personalities to either participate in a roleplaying session, act out scenes with NPCs to further the story, or engage in combat with terrifying monsters like bugbears or gloomstalkers. —Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Ars Technica, 30 Sep. 2024

Lemon later pressed Musk on his other recent bugbear: diversity, equity, and inclusion. —Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 18 Mar. 2024

By Arash Azizi American leftists are facing a question that has become a perennial bugbear. —Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 21 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1552, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

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Kids Definition

bugbear

noun

bug·​bear ˈbəg-ˌba(ə)r 

-ˌbe(ə)r

1

: an imaginary creature used to frighten children

2

: something one is afraid of

3

: a continuing source of annoyance