hobgoblin
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hobgoblin
- /hɒbˈɡɒb.lɪn/ UK
- /hɑbˈɡɑb.lɪn/ US
Rhymes with -ɒblɪn
Where it comes from
From hob (“elf”, from Hob, a variant of Rob, short for Robin Goodfellow, an elf in Germanic folklore) + goblin.
noun hobgoblins
- A small, ugly goblin that makes trouble for humans. They were, like their northern kindred, divided into two classes: the rural Elves, inhabiting the woods, fields, mountains, and caverns; and the domestic or house-spirits, called Hobgoblins and Robin Goodfellows.
- A source of dread, fear or apprehension; a bugbear. A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines. With consistency a great soul has simply nothing to do.
Similar: goblin
Thesaurus
noun
Similar: goblin
Translations
Every language
noun source of dread, fear or apprehension
| Deutsch | Schreckgespenst |
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Talk about this word "hobgoblin." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/hobgoblin. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. hobgoblin. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/hobgoblin "hobgoblin." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/hobgoblin.Cite this
@misc{hobgoblin_2026,
title = {hobgoblin},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/hobgoblin},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
