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.
Other enduring Spider-Man characters he was involved in originating included the villainous Vulture, mobster Hammerhead and the sonic-powered Shocker, as well as the Hobgoblin, journalist Robbie Robertson and Gwen Stacy's father George Stacy.
From BBC • Jun. 14, 2023
It absolutely reeks of taking a pint of Hobgoblin back to the bar because it wasn’t tepid enough.
From The Guardian • Aug. 24, 2019
The same confusion in outlines which exists regarding our own Bogie and Hobgoblin gives the Bwbach a double character, as a household fairy and as a terrifying phantom.
From British Goblins Welsh Folk-lore, Fairy Mythology, Legends and Traditions by Sikes, Wirt
And Lee it was who gave to the fine old place the name Hobgoblin Hall.
From The Romance of Old New England Rooftrees by Crawford, Mary Caroline
Hobgoblin nor foul fiend Can daunt his spirit, He knows he at the end Shall life inherit.
From The Life of John Bunyan by Venables, Edmund
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.
