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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Recent Examples of hobgoblin
Sightings of the mythical Nain Rouge, a red hobgoblin or dwarf that appears on the eve of tragedy, date to Detroit's origin — and locals have reclaimed the spirit with an annual march to scare the demon away, according to tradition.
—
Detroit Free Press, 24 Mar. 2024
As Ralph Waldo Emerson might have said in an essay of the same name (and did), a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds; Tommy seems to feel his brain shrinking along with his life.
—John Anderson, WSJ, 9 Jan. 2024
Consistency is the hobgoblin of large language models.
—Brianne Kane, Scientific American, 29 Sep. 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
See All Example Sentences for hobgoblin
Detroit Free Press, 24 Mar. 2024
As Ralph Waldo Emerson might have said in an essay of the same name (and did), a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds; Tommy seems to feel his brain shrinking along with his life.
—John Anderson, WSJ, 9 Jan. 2024
Consistency is the hobgoblin of large language models.
—Brianne Kane, Scientific American, 29 Sep. 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
See All Example Sentences for hobgoblin
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hobgoblin
Noun
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Pair the duo with fairy lights, a thin linen runner, and more faux foliage to create a stunning seasonal scene.—
Mariana Best,
Better Homes & Gardens,
5 Sep. 2025
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The fairy houses – known as domus de janas in Sardinian – date back over 5,000 years to the late Neolithic and Copper Age.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Dixon looks ahead with a mix of optimism and dread.—
Sarah Shephard,
New York Times,
13 Sep. 2025
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The assassination of Charlie Kirk has united the parties in a sense of dread that the country has arrived at a dangerous place.—
Mike Lillis,
The Hill,
13 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The box covers the most popular classes and ancestries such as humans, elves, dwarves and halflings.—
Rob Wieland,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
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Four years later, the mischievous elf with pointy ears and a toothy grin made its leap to collectible toy thanks to China’s Pop Mart.—
Renan Botelho,
Footwear News,
7 Sep. 2025
Noun
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This simple act of kindness helps spread the Halloween spirit to all the little goblins and ghosts.—
Maria Sabella,
Better Homes & Gardens,
9 Sep. 2025
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Leigh Gill is set to play Griphook, after his brief appearance as another goblin, Red, in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.—
Shania Russell,
EW.com,
1 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Starring Mike Myers as a lone-wolf ogre, the film filtered familiar storybook icons through a farcical lens.—
Skyler Trepel September 1,
EW.com,
1 Sep. 2025
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Yes, the warrior who fought wizards, ogres and various other monsters in the Roger Corman-produced 1983 sword and sorcery cult classic is back on the big screen.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Oxygenic photosynthesis might be just out of reach on a planet closely orbiting an M-dwarf, says Duffy.—
Bruce Dorminey,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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In the winter, the dwarf conifers will be the star of the show.—
Bebe Hodges,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
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This was a bugbear most prominently highlighted in the case of the U.S. naval surveillance activities in Chinese EEZ in particular.—
Ryan Chan,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Aug. 2025
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Defense spending has been a thorny subject for NATO members for years, and a persistent bugbear for Trump.—
Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
5 June 2025
Noun
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Dallas police identified the suspect as Yordanis Cobos-Martinez, who is being held without bond on a charge of capital murder by terror threat.—
Nic F. Anderson,
CNN Money,
13 Sep. 2025
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Perhaps, though, Kubrick's cold view of Jack and choice to diminish some of King's sympathetic nuances serve to heighten the terror; how much does knowing the complex motivations of a domestic abuser help their victims?—
James Grebey,
Time,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hobgoblin.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hobgoblin. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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