SAT vocab: What does “bugbear” mean?
Definition: Something that is or seems to be always present as a problem, annoyance, or source of dread (Ex: the bugbear of obesity in the modern U.S.). An imaginary creature that is referred to to make children feel fear; a bogeyman.
Part of Speech: noun
Pronunciations: BUG-bare
or, if you prefer the IPA: /’bəg.beɪr/
Example: The recurrent bugbear of hyperinflation plagued the Brazilian economy during the early 1990s; it wasn’t until the introduction of the Plano Real that the government was able to reduce the annual rate of inflation to double-digit numbers.
Discussion: I just used this word the other day and had the idea of doing a week of challenge vocabulary that is related to animals. I’ve always liked this word, as it refers to constant problems, ones that never seem to go away.