Synonyms/Hypernyms (Ordered by Estimated Frequency) of noun hobgoblin

2 senses of hobgoblin

Sense 1
goblin, hob, hobgoblin -- ((folklore) a small grotesque supernatural creature that makes trouble for human beings)
       => evil spirit -- (a spirit tending to cause harm)

Sense 2
bugbear, hobgoblin -- (an object of dread or apprehension; "Germany was always a bugbear for France"; "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds"--Ralph Waldo Emerson)
       => object -- (the focus of cognitions or feelings; "objects of thought"; "the object of my affection")