BUGBEAR Synonyms: 99 Similar and Opposite Words

bugbear

noun

ˈbəg-ˌber

Definition of bugbear

as in dread

something or someone that causes fear or dread especially without reason communism was once the nation's biggest bugbear

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in headache

something that is a source of irritation hated all the bugbears of modern life, especially those long commutes to work

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of bugbear This has been one of its main bugbears for years, with several engine types experimented with. — Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 25 Apr. 2026 Timings, though, can often be a bugbear. — Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026 The turbulence created in a car’s wake is the eternal bugbear of F1 fans and rulemakers. — ABC News, 4 Mar. 2026 Take The Mandibles, a book that revolves around the national debt, long a bugbear of hers. — Adelle Waldman, The Atlantic, 10 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for bugbear

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bugbear

Noun

Artificial is pointedly funnier than his other work, including a large comedic performance by Ike Barinholtz as Musk, even as an existential dread permeates.

— E. Alex Jung, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2026
Audiences can expect natural richness, such as underwater images of glistening shellfish, to encounter ecological dread.

— Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of dread

Noun

The usual symptoms include high fever, headache, stiffness and an overall feeling that resembles the flu.

— David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 3 Oct. 2026
Budget cuts The unrest is adding to a major political headache for the government, which is about to start tough budget negotiations against a backdrop of division and economic turmoil.

— Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of headache

Noun

More recently, Hannah Hidalgo has been a thorn in the Huskies’ sides, though UConn got past ND in the Elite Eight last March.

— Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 19 Sep. 2026
Oil, which in recent weeks has been a thorn in the stock market's side, provided the first source of relief Monday.

— Alexa LoMonaco, CNBC, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of thorn

Noun

British authorities have linked the terror plot to Tehran, although Iran has denied involvement.

— Azhar Sukri,Terri Cullen, CNBC, 4 Oct. 2026
That resonated for me because the war on terror did a tremendous amount of damage to people, and those people have suffered in silence.

— Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of terror

Noun

For homeowners who have spent decades building equity, failing windows are more than a nuisance.

— Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 5 Oct. 2026
Legal experts on the other side question the notion that a public nuisance can be defined so broadly to include both the sale of a legal product and the impact on carbon pollution, much of it coming from China and India.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of nuisance

Noun

Drawing on authoritarianism scholars, the piece contends that linking criticism of Trump to hostility toward America can stigmatize dissent and make opponents appear to be enemies of the country.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026
One of them, journalist Tomas, goes public with the information, unleashing powerful enemies.

— K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of enemy

Noun

Players slapped each other’s helmets in frustration while angry voices carried from the sideline.

— D’Joumbarey Moreau, Miami Herald, 3 Oct. 2026
Rubin acknowledged the union’s frustrations in a response to the no-confidence vote, but said there were no funds available to increase overtime.

— Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of frustration

Browse Nearby Words

bugaboos

bugbear

bugbears

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“Bugbear.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bugbear. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of bugbear

noun

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