BUGBEAR Synonyms: 99 Similar and Opposite Words

bugbear

noun

ˈbəg-ˌber

Definition of bugbear

as in dread

something or someone that causes fear or dread especially without reason communism was once the nation's biggest bugbear

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in headache

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

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 bugbear This has been one of its main bugbears for years, with several engine types experimented with. — Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 25 Apr. 2026 Timings, though, can often be a bugbear. — Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026 The turbulence created in a car’s wake is the eternal bugbear of F1 fans and rulemakers. — ABC News, 4 Mar. 2026 Take The Mandibles, a book that revolves around the national debt, long a bugbear of hers. — Adelle Waldman, The Atlantic, 10 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for bugbear

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bugbear

Noun

On Podium, Cheekface dial up both the hooks and the sociopolitical dread, but absurdist humor remains their defense mechanism for a world spiraling out of control.

— Zach Schonfeld, Pitchfork, 3 Aug. 2026
Lynskey suggests that there might be some way to grasp the significance of events like the unprecedented wildfires in Europe without giving in to dread.

— M. R. O’Connor, New Yorker, 1 Aug. 2026

Definition of dread

Noun

This thing of like trying to paint a certain type or color or class of people as the enemy and the great bugaboo in America?

— Jim Ryan, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026
If there’s any big bugaboo in his profile, he can be beaten by higher-end velocity, but his ability to adjust to secondary offerings keeps him afloat.

— Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 10 June 2026

Definition of bugaboo

Noun

As new-ish CBS News chieftain Bari Weiss looks poised to rule over CNN too, there are worries in Blue State and MSM circles about the fate of the cable newser — a thorn in Donald Trump‘s paw — if the ParaBros deal closes.

— Dominic Patten, Deadline, 6 Aug. 2026
These networks used to buffer against isolation and economic displacement—the thorns of modern life that make partnership more valuable yet love more difficult to find.

— Faith Hill, The Atlantic, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of thorn

Noun

At first, the men from Maidenpool laugh in his crispy little face, but soon their expressions evolve, from disbelief to disdain to awe and, finally, to terror.

— Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 3 Aug. 2026
But nothing has quite captured the pure animalististic terror of the moment in this episode when Rhaena, Daemon, Rhaenyra and Addam all come face-to-face, dragon-to-dragon.

— Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of terror

Noun

Bots were once a fairly small portion of traffic and primarily treated as a threat or a nuisance; today, around 57% of web traffic consists of bots, according to Cloudflare’s chief strategy officer, Stephanie Cohen.

— Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 5 Aug. 2026
Powerful running and high work rate made Rutter a nuisance to Brighton’s opponents, but his form and confidence nosedived last season.

— Andy Naylor, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of nuisance

Noun

Friday is here and that means all you Competitive Wordle players, playing against your friends, co-workers, rivals, enemies, or against me or the Wordle Bot, must double your points, whether positive or negative.

— Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Months turned into years, and on August 6, 1945, Kakita and his brother heard of an enemy aircraft sighting.

— Rina Nakano, CBS News, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of enemy

Noun

Survivors have expressed frustration and criticized the Japanese government's support for nuclear deterrence for being insincere.

— ABC News, ABC News, 9 Aug. 2026
The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office has not publicly commented on their investigation for weeks, deferring questions to the district attorney — who acknowledged the public’s frustration.

— Alisha Ebrahimji, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2026

Definition of frustration

Browse Nearby Words

bugaboos

bugbear

bugbears

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Bugbear.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bugbear. Accessed 11 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of bugbear

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on bugbear

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

baptism of fire

Popular in Grammar & Usage

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Games & Quizzes