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
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Recent Examples of bugaboo
Nevada was hindered by poor free-throw shooting, a bugaboo in recent games.
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San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Feb. 2024
An eternal bugaboo of mine in the two years of writing these rankings has been finding a third or fourth SEC team to consistently place in the top 25.
—Sabreena Merchant, The Athletic, 8 Apr. 2024
And despite getting Anthony Rizzo to pop up for the second out, the long-ball bugaboo bit him against Volpe.
—Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2024
Durability is an age-old bugaboo of vaccine designers.
—Byjon Cohen, science.org, 11 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for bugaboo 
San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Feb. 2024
An eternal bugaboo of mine in the two years of writing these rankings has been finding a third or fourth SEC team to consistently place in the top 25.
—Sabreena Merchant, The Athletic, 8 Apr. 2024
And despite getting Anthony Rizzo to pop up for the second out, the long-ball bugaboo bit him against Volpe.
—Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2024
Durability is an age-old bugaboo of vaccine designers.
—Byjon Cohen, science.org, 11 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for bugaboo
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bugaboo
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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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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Last Voyage turns the chilling interlude into a slow-moving slasher, neither acknowledging the book’s metaphor of a ship bringing plague nor indulging in the inherent paranoia of its claustrophobic surroundings.Celia Mattison, Vulture, 27 Dec. 2024
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Even diseases as deadly as the plague don’t kill every prairie dog in a colony.Christine Peterson, Outdoor Life, 25 Dec. 2024
Noun
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With Bodine on the bag, in the pouring rain, DeChambeau made 13 birdies — and one bogey — to shoot a historic 58 during the Sunday round of LIV Greenbrier.Gabby Herzig, The Athletic, 16 Aug. 2024
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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
Thesaurus Entries Near bugaboo
Cite this Entry
“Bugaboo.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bugaboo. Accessed 6 Jan. 2025.
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