bête noire

[beyt nwahr; French bet nwar]

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noun, plural bêtes noires [beyt nwahrz; French bet nwar] /ˌbeɪt ˈnwɑrz; French bɛt ˈnwar/.

a person or thing especially disliked or dreaded; bane; bugbear.

Origin of bête noire

1835–45; < French: literally, black beast

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for bete noire

adversary, anathema, antagonist, bane, bugbear, competitor, curse, devil, enemy, foe, opponent, plague, rival, trouble

Examples from the Web for bete noire

Historical Examples of bete noire

Mongenod became by bete-noire; I inveighed against him even as I walked the streets.
The Brotherhood of Consolation
Honore de Balzac

British Dictionary definitions for bete noire

bête noire

noun plural bêtes noires (bɛt nwar)

a person or thing that one particularly dislikes or dreads

Word Origin for bête noire

literally: black beast

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

Word Origin and History for bete noire

"insufferable person," 1844, from French bête noire "personal aversion," as an adjective, "stupid, foolish;" literally "the black beast."

bete noire in Culture

bête noire

[(bet nwahr)]

Something or someone a person views with particular dislike: “The new candidate for governor is the bête noire of all the liberals in the state.” From French, meaning “black beast.”

Idioms and Phrases with bete noire

bête noire

A person or thing that is particularly disliked. For example, Calculus was the bête noire of my freshman courses. This phrase, French for “black beast,” entered the English language in the early 1800s. For synonyms, see pain in the neck; thorn in one's flesh.