bugbear.

1. An imaginary creature invoked as a source of fear, especially in older folklore.

2. A recurring source of annoyance, difficulty, or particular concern.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• a legendary bugbear
• a nursery bugbear

On the page

The old tale named a bugbear in the wood but never described its face.

A nursery bugbear became a serious fear when the children heard the same story from the guard.

Usage notes

Primary category: horror. Forms: Singular bugbear; plural bugbears. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings.