BÊTES NOIRES Synonyms: 74 Similar and Opposite Words

bêtes noires

noun

plural of bête noire

as in dreads

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

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as in enemies

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bêtes noires

Noun

He's described by officials as a Black male in his late teens with a medium-large build and thick dreads.

— Nick Lentz, CBS News, 15 June 2026
Mirror images except for the fact that Jelani has his hair in dreads, while Ari goes with the more retro-look afro.

— Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Feb. 2026

Definition of dreads

Noun

As old enemies and unfinished business resurface, Paul is drawn deeper into a struggle for justice and redemption against a wider network of corruption and abuse of power in contemporary Nigeria.

— Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 2 Sep. 2026
His father’s political enemies used his problems with crack to try and erode trust in the Biden administration.

— David Manheim, Rolling Stone, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of enemies

Noun

The project follows a husband and wife who buy their dream ranch only to discover the land is alive with ancient spirits, and survival means submitting to increasingly disturbing rituals with each turn of the season.

— Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 1 Sep. 2026
Directed by Geum Dong-ho, the musical animation follows a singer-songwriter with the supernatural ability to see spirits who joins forces with a quartet of ghosts to form a musical troupe.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of spirits

Noun

It a thematic fit, and after nearly 200 episodes, there’s no doubting this team’s ability to deliver fresh, new abominations.

— Ben Travers, IndieWire, 17 Aug. 2026
As the representative for the armed wing of a human empire, you're tasked with subduing these Lovecraftian abominations and securing a foothold for humanity on alien worlds.

— Alan Bradley, Space.com, 5 Jan. 2026

Definition of abominations

Noun

In March, a Jackson County judge ordered Millennia to board up the property and fix those nuisances.

— Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 2 Sep. 2026
The number of bears killed by motor vehicle strikes, euthanized as nuisances because of conflicts with humans or poached in the Central Florida region over the past decade total about 1,900.

— Stephen Hudak, The Orlando Sentinel, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of nuisances

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bête noire

bêtes noires

bethel

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“Bêtes noires.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/b%C3%AAtes%20noires. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of bêtes noires

noun

Example Sentences

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