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hobgoblin

[hob-gob-lin] / ˈhɒbˌgɒb lɪn /
NOUN
mischievous goblin
Synonyms
STRONG
bogeyman brownie elf fairy fay imp leprechaun pixie puck sprite

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

He has taken Emerson’s nostrum about consistency being “the hobgoblin of little minds” to its acid-flashback extreme: no consistency, no mind to speak of, but one hell of a hobgoblin.

From Salon • Feb. 9, 2025

I’m fine with that; a foolish adherence to canon is the hobgoblin of small minds.

From The Verge • Aug. 23, 2022

Dismissing the hobgoblin of consistency, I drove to the Odyssey on Saturday afternoon with a feeling of genuine excitement.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 24, 2020

"This thing is a gigantic hobgoblin for her. She's freaked out by it and she does not want to entrust us with conducting a trial."

From Fox News • Dec. 19, 2019

Calling Greeley, “the self appointed Attorney General for the hobgoblin society,” the Burr brothers set out to expose spirit communication as a fraud and tell the public the truth about the Fox sisters.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

Vocabulary lists containing hobgoblin

Excerpt from "Self-Reliance"

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