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View synonyms for

bugbear

[ buhg-bair ]

noun

  1. any source, real or imaginary, of needless fright or fear.
  2. a persistent problem or source of annoyance.
  3. Folklore. a goblin that eats up naughty children.


bugbear

/ ˈʌɡˌɛə /

noun

  1. a thing that causes obsessive fear or anxiety
  2. (in English folklore) a goblin said to eat naughty children and thought to be in the form of a bear
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Word History and Origins

Origin of bugbear1

First recorded in 1570–80; bug 2 + bear 2
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Word History and Origins

Origin of bugbear1

C16: from bug ² + bear ²; compare bugaboo
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

A prime bugbear for those unhappy with micro-managed football is the changing role of the goalkeeper, with many teams now preferring to build slowly from the back rather than launching quick attacks.

From

She has become something of a bugbear to right-wing media in the weeks since the fires and faced explicitly racist and gender-based blitzing on social media.

From

The Trump administration is wasting no time in targeting conservative bugbears.

From

The lack of a striker is still the great bugbear.

From

The former president spent much of his speech at Madison Square Garden on Sunday railing against a now familiar bugbear: supposed "enemies from within" the United States.

From

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