1
as in dreads
something or someone that causes fear or dread especially without reason
communism was once the nation's biggest bugbear
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in headaches
something that is a source of irritation
hated all the bugbears of modern life, especially those long commutes to work
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bugbears
Anyway, as this supporter told Sky Sports, one of their bugbears is that Chelsea Dagger doesn’t actually have anything to do with Chelsea Football Club.
—
Tim Spiers, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
Tim Spiers, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bugbears
Noun
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Other introspective angles are explored during Mariano’s audiences with his friend the Pope (Rufin Doh Zeyenouin), a serene Black man with a head crowned by a bundle of silver dreads, who tools around the Vatican on a motorbike.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Side effects may include stomach issues, headaches, and rare kidney problems from contamination.—
Sarah Anzlovar,
Verywell Health,
23 Oct. 2025
-
In the year before his death, Thomas had been struggling with his mental health, as well as daily headaches and memory loss, his parents said at the time.—
Natasha Dye,
PEOPLE,
21 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The internet gives us more opportunity to be exposed to noteworthy terrors from other countries.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
21 Oct. 2025
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It's been a consistently reliable genre in the decades since, pairing mental anguish and unreliable perspectives with nightmarish imagery and terrors that lie just beyond our perceptions.—
Steven Thrash,
Entertainment Weekly,
19 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Going forward, Nason thinks Gen Z’s job crisis needs to be addressed sooner rather than later, as their student loans start to accumulate and frustrations bubble.—
Jessica Coacci,
Fortune,
23 Oct. 2025
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The mise en abyme of the film is reflected in Fellini’s own frustrations during the preproduction of 8 1/2.—
Erik Morse,
Vogue,
23 Oct. 2025
Noun
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James went down a lengthy list of bugaboos that hurt the Chargers, including but not limited to 14 penalties totaling 107 yards, the Giants’ 7-for-15 efficiency on third downs, a lackluster start that featured deficits of 10-0 and 13-3 in the first half and a failure to force a New York turnover.—
Elliott Teaford,
Oc Register,
28 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Decades ago, marshes were considered nuisances, soggy flats to be drained, dried, and made waterproof with liberal coatings of asphalt.—
Justin Davidson,
Curbed,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
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To eat the nopales, remove the spines (spikes, thorns, or barbs) and use them raw in salads or cooked in soups or tacos.—
Barbie Cervoni,
Verywell Health,
22 Oct. 2025
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What fantastic fantasies will lure risk-seeking treasure hunters to breach the massive walls of iron thorns surrounding mysterious radioactive caverns buried deep in the deserts?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Lower courts have ruled Trump overstepped his authority under a law historically used for imposing economic sanctions and other penalties on foreign enemies.—
Joey Garrison,
USA Today,
24 Oct. 2025
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Price, a former Navy man, is conveying the exhaustion of Black sailors and soldiers in a military that continues to enshrine—most recently, in the names of Army bases—its Confederate enemies.—
Julian Lucas,
New Yorker,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bugbears.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bugbears. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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