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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Examples Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of hobgoblin
Consistency is the hobgoblin of large language models.
—
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
-
In a year of exuberance and dread, songs came from every which way to comfort, to amuse, to haunt, to tantalize.August Brown, Los Angeles Times, 10 Dec. 2024
-
In addition, Head owns leading binding brand Tyrolia, and the Protector bindings are a major safety innovation and big deal in the marketplace, designed to help prevent knee injuries, a dread of skiers everywhere.Larry Olmsted, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
Although the elves will be on display 24 hours a day, they will only be animated at the following times: 11 a.m.-1 p.m. and 4-8 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday-Sunday.Luann Gibbs, The Enquirer, 15 Dec. 2024
-
Even with those issues, Rock still managed to sell the first main sketch of the night, about a Christmas mall elf giving parents the uncomfortable choice between a white Santa (James Austin Johnson) and a Black Santa (Devon Walker) for their kids.Omar L. Gallaga, Los Angeles Times, 15 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
Watching him dance and sing with a room full of demented goblins never really gets old.Ollie Barder, Forbes, 25 Nov. 2024
-
The valley is unofficially divided into three sections: the First Valley, a mostly flat area with stunted goblins; the Second Valley, marked by a large gray dome with slightly taller goblins; and the Third Valley.Carrie Dennis, Travel + Leisure, 6 Oct. 2024
Noun
-
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
-
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
-
Emperor tamarins are dwarf monkeys with whiskers that resemble a white moustache.Robert Higgs, cleveland, 1 Feb. 2023
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
Luigi Mangione already was charged with murder in the Dec. 4 killing of Brian Thompson, but the terror allegation is new.Jake Offenhartz and Jennifer Peltz, Los Angeles Times, 17 Dec. 2024
-
Terrifier 3—the shock horror hit where Art the Clown brings terror to the Christmas season—is arriving on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD this week.Tim Lammers, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
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
-
That’s in addition to the strange creatures that roam the countryside such as faeries and dragon.Rob Wieland, Forbes, 6 Nov. 2024
Articles Related to hobgoblin
Thesaurus Entries Near hobgoblin
Cite this Entry
“Hobgoblin.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hobgoblin. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share