Bugbear

Pronunciation: /bʌɡ.bɛər/

Definitions of bugbear

noun a cause of obsessive fear, anxiety, or irritation

Example Sentences

A1 Spiders are my biggest bugbear.

A2 For many people, public speaking is a bugbear.

B1 Procrastination can be a bugbear for students trying to meet deadlines.

B2 The lack of communication between departments was a bugbear for the company.

C1 The constant bureaucracy in the government was seen as a bugbear by many citizens.

C2 The bugbear of corruption plagued the country's economy for years.

Examples of bugbear in a Sentence

formal The lack of funding has always been a bugbear for the research team.

informal My biggest bugbear at work is when people don't clean up after themselves in the break room.

slang That math test was a real bugbear, I couldn't figure out any of the questions.

figurative Procrastination is my biggest bugbear when it comes to achieving my goals.

Grammatical Forms of bugbear

• past tense: bugbore
• plural: bugbears
• comparative: more bugbear
• superlative: most bugbear
• present tense: bugbears
• future tense: will bugbear
• perfect tense: have bugbear
• continuous tense: is bugbearing
• singular: bugbear
• positive degree: bugbear
• infinitive: to bugbear
• gerund: bugbearing
• participle: bugbearred

Origin and Evolution of bugbear

First Known Use: 1555 year

Language of Origin: Middle English

Story behind the word: The word 'bugbear' originated from the Middle English term 'bugge' meaning a frightening specter or hobgoblin, combined with the word 'bear' which was used to signify something that causes fear or annoyance.

Evolution of the word: Over time, the term 'bugbear' shifted from referring to a mythical creature used to scare children to a metaphor for something that causes fear or anxiety in a more general sense.