bugbear
Americannoun
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any source, real or imaginary, of needless fright or fear.
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a persistent problem or source of annoyance.
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Folklore. a goblin that eats up naughty children.
noun
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a thing that causes obsessive fear or anxiety
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(in English folklore) a goblin said to eat naughty children and thought to be in the form of a bear
Etymology
Origin of bugbear
Vocabulary lists containing bugbear
"The Minister's Black Veil," Vocabulary from the short story
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"A Vindication of the Rights of Woman," Vocabulary from the political argument
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Four Star Words from Annie Proulx's "Rough Deeds"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Computer memory has been the bugbear on pricing lately.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 20, 2026
GDP estimates are a particular bugbear of his because in service-based economies like the U.S. or the U.K. the figures are usually revised higher later because of delays in collecting invoices, receipts and so on.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 15, 2026
But at Tesla's "Gigafactory", it has been a persistent bugbear for the management since the plant opened in 2022 -- with this week's Monday-to-Wednesday ballot marking a high point in tensions.
From Barron's • Mar. 2, 2026
Kennedy stepped around the question to talk specifically about antidepressants: a longtime bugbear for the current head of the Department of Health and Human Services.
From Salon • Aug. 28, 2025
This didn’t matter too much if you were using the telescope to identify a ship at sea, but it was a major bugbear for the accurate work required in astronomy.
From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
