bête noire

noun

ˌbet-ˈnwär How to pronounce bête noire (audio)
ˌbāt-
plural bêtes noires ˌbet-ˈnwär(z) How to pronounce bête noire (audio)
ˌbāt-
Synonyms of bête noirenext
: a person or thing strongly detested or avoided : bugbear
… an idiosyncratic driver whose bête noire was the left turn.—Marylin Bender

Synonyms of bête noire

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Examples of bête noire in a Sentence

a politician who is the bête noire of liberal groups doing my own tax return is the bête noire that haunts me every April
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
David Warner, like his bete noire Broad, was involved in 2023 but has retired since. — Darren Richman, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2025 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 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 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 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

Word History

Etymology

French, literally, black beast

First Known Use

1805, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bête noire was in 1805

Browse Nearby Words

betel phenol
bête noire
beth
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Cite this Entry

“Bête noire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/b%C3%AAte%20noire. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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