bête noire
[ beyt -nwahr; French bet -nwar ]
/ ˌbeɪt ˈnwɑr; French bɛt ˈnwar /
noun, plural bêtes noires [beyt -nwahrz; French bet -nwar]. /ˌbeɪt ˈnwɑrz; French bɛt ˈnwar/.
a person or thing especially disliked or dreaded; bane; bugbear.
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Origin of bête noire
1835–45; <French: literally, black beast
Words nearby bête noire
betazole, betel, Betelgeuse, betel nut, betel palm, bête noire, beth, bethanechol, bethanechol chloride, Bethany, be that as it may
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for bête 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 bête noire
bête noire
/ French (bɛt nwar) /
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
Cultural definitions for bête noire
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.”
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Idioms and Phrases with bête 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.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.