noun
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an evil or mischievous goblin
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a bogey; bugbear
Etymology
Origin of hobgoblin
Explanation
A hobgoblin is something you fear or dread. Public speaking is a hobgoblin for many people. So are spiders, the dark, and monsters that lurk under the bed. A hobgoblin is so scary it’s the name of a Spider-Man villain. The word has been around since the 1500s, though, and can refer to all kinds of things that scare you. It’s in this quote by the philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines.” Anything that worries or disturbs you is a hobgoblin, which can also be called a bugbear.
Vocabulary lists containing hobgoblin
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.
In response, Black quoted Ralph Waldo Emerson to me: “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026
I’m fine with that; a foolish adherence to canon is the hobgoblin of small minds.
From The Verge ● Aug. 23, 2022
“A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds,” Emerson wrote, and in this respect at least, Thiel’s intellect lives up to its billing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2021
As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines.”
From Washington Post ● Aug. 1, 2021
Like in The World at the End of the Tunnel when Jack is taken to the hobgoblin king’s castle and thrown in the highest tower.
From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
