1
as in dread
something or someone that causes fear or dread especially without reason
doing my own tax return is the bête noire that haunts me every April
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in enemy
something or someone that is hated
in that organization's view, society's number one bête noire should be the drunk driver of a motor vehicle
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 bête noire
There’s plenty of satisfying comic justice to come when Salieri is left alone to his own devices — and to spend a lot of climactic alone time with the audience — long after his bete noire is gone.
—
Chris Willman, Variety, 27 Feb. 2026
David Warner, like his bete noire Broad, was involved in 2023 but has retired since.
—Darren Richman, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2025
The illiberal Hungarian prime minister is the bete noire of the European Union, a beloved hero to a major segment of the U.S. right and most vocal statesman among nationalists in the West.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024
Others also pointed to a 2010 Bon Jovi gig in Tokyo that featured images of the Dalai Lama – Beijing’s bete noire – on the stage background.
—Heather Chen, CNN, 10 Feb. 2024
Wilt Chamberlain, Russell’s friend and lifelong bete noire, tried to slow down the game by taking Russell one-on-one in half-court sets that put the massive, absurdly gifted Wilt square in the post.
—Corbin Smith, Rolling Stone, 8 Feb. 2023
The food stylist's bete noire turned out to be foam.
—Clark Collis, EW.com, 3 Oct. 2022
To some Republican participants in the hearing, the whole thing seemed like an opportunity to take easy shots at outlets like Fox News, long a bete noire of the liberal and Democratic establishment.
—Andy Meek, Forbes, 5 Mar. 2021
Final approval rests with Italian President Sergio Mattarella—a respected figure in Italy’s establishment and another bete noire of the League and 5 Star Movement.
—WSJ, 11 Feb. 2019
Chris Willman, Variety, 27 Feb. 2026
David Warner, like his bete noire Broad, was involved in 2023 but has retired since.
—Darren Richman, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2025
The illiberal Hungarian prime minister is the bete noire of the European Union, a beloved hero to a major segment of the U.S. right and most vocal statesman among nationalists in the West.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024
Others also pointed to a 2010 Bon Jovi gig in Tokyo that featured images of the Dalai Lama – Beijing’s bete noire – on the stage background.
—Heather Chen, CNN, 10 Feb. 2024
Wilt Chamberlain, Russell’s friend and lifelong bete noire, tried to slow down the game by taking Russell one-on-one in half-court sets that put the massive, absurdly gifted Wilt square in the post.
—Corbin Smith, Rolling Stone, 8 Feb. 2023
The food stylist's bete noire turned out to be foam.
—Clark Collis, EW.com, 3 Oct. 2022
To some Republican participants in the hearing, the whole thing seemed like an opportunity to take easy shots at outlets like Fox News, long a bete noire of the liberal and Democratic establishment.
—Andy Meek, Forbes, 5 Mar. 2021
Final approval rests with Italian President Sergio Mattarella—a respected figure in Italy’s establishment and another bete noire of the League and 5 Star Movement.
—WSJ, 11 Feb. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bête noire
Noun
-
The many leaps in time to the wedding—to which Ruben shows up on a motorcycle, angry enough to knock his brother out with a single punch—consistently ratchet up the sense of dread, and the suspense over why or how these two have stayed enmeshed.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
24 Apr. 2026
-
But fights are just as integral to the Netflix show created by Lee Sung Jin, and the series’ sound team needed to do even more meticulous work building visceral senses of anger, stress, and dread that slowly swallow up the characters and steer them into making a compounding set of poor decisions.—
Sarah Shachat,
IndieWire,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
These are effective, but require attacks to be initiated from outside enemy airspace.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
26 Apr. 2026
-
People of faith are not so easily deterred from speaking truth to power, even to power unafraid to drop bombs on its enemies.—
Ciera Bates-Chamberlain,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Efforts to track groups whose hate might turn violent are further complicated by the nebulous, ever-shifting nature of extremism on social media.—
Sonja Sharp,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
-
So far, no one has been arrested, but officials said a couple of cases have been documented as hate-crime investigations.—
Elizabeth Robinson,
NBC news,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
These findings echo a broader pattern political scientists call affective polarization: the replacement of disagreement with abhorrence.—
Manvir Singh,
New Yorker,
27 Oct. 2025
-
When human decency and basic civility fall victim to partisanship and ideology, and abhorrence of violence becomes tempered by political aims, monstrosities and tyrannies become possible.—
Michael Bloomberg,
Twin Cities,
24 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The difference is Netflix had, at best, an antipathy towards the theatrical experience.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
9 Apr. 2026
-
The president’s antipathy for Mueller was on full display throughout the course of the Russia investigation, with Mueller – whose tenure as FBI director ended well before Trump took office – brought out of retirement by Trump’s own Justice Department to serve as special counsel.—
Josh Campbell,
CNN Money,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Most homeowners are surprised to learn the buzzing nuisance ruining their evenings probably started life just steps from the back door.—
Ryan Brennan
April 30,
Miami Herald,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Previous modernization efforts The airport has previously suffered from a host of issues that have proved nuisances for travelers, including green liquid falling from the ceiling and broken escalators.—
Sarah Perkel,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Civic spending in all but eight states testifies to the fact that the Lost Cause fantasy was not an aberration or an abomination, but the reality across the country.—
Horace D. Ballard,
Artforum,
22 Apr. 2026
-
While people sometimes express this view in jest, others believe the fake environment borders on a cultural abomination.—
Adam Kadlac,
The Conversation,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
But this truth is anathema in a culture where billionaires expect to live forever and encounters with disease are wars to be fought and won.—
Hannah Kerman,
STAT,
29 Apr. 2026
-
But the issue isn’t if tanking is an anathema to any moral sports fan.—
Dave Hyde,
Sun Sentinel,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bête noire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/b%C3%AAte%20noire. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
