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  1. Dictionary
    bête noire
    /bɛt ˈnwɑː/

    noun

    • 1. a person or thing that one particularly dislikes: "great-uncle Edward was my father's bête noire"

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    More definitions, origin and scrabble points

  2. www.merriam-webster.com › dictionary › bête noireBête noire Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

    The meaning of BÊTE NOIRE is a person or thing strongly detested or avoided : bugbear. How to use bête noire in a sentence.

  3. dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › englishBÊTE NOIRE | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary

    Bête noire is a French phrase that means a person or thing that you dislike very much or that annoys you. Learn how to pronounce it, see related words and phrases, and get translations in other languages.

  4. www.dictionary.com › browse › bete-noireBÊTE NOIRE Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com

    Something or someone a person views with particular dislike: “The new candidate for governor is the bête noire of all the liberals in the state.” From French, meaning “black beast.”

  5. en.wiktionary.org › wiki › bête_noirebête noire - Wiktionary, the free dictionary

    • Etymology
    • Pronunciation
    • Noun
    • Further Reading

    Unadapted borrowing from French bête noire (“(figurative) intolerable person”, literally “black beast”).

    See full list on en.wiktionary.org

    (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /bɛt ˈnwɑː/, /beɪt-/
    (General American) IPA(key): /bɛt ˈnwɑɹ/
    Rhymes: -ɑː(ɹ)

    See full list on en.wiktionary.org

    bête noire (plural bêtes noires) 1. Someone or something that is unbearable and so particularly avoided or disliked; the bane of someone's existence; an object of aversion; an anathema. 1.1. Synonym: bugbear 1.1. 1833 October, “Art. V.—Mémoires de Madame la Duchesse d’Abrantes, ou Souvenirs Historiques sur Napoleon, la Revolution, le Directoire, le...

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    bête noire (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
    Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “bete noire”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

    See full list on en.wiktionary.org

  6. dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › french-englishBÊTE NOIRE in English - Cambridge Dictionary

    BÊTE NOIRE translate: hate. Learn more in the Cambridge French-English Dictionary.

  7. www.collinsdictionary.com › dictionary › french-englishEnglish translation of 'bête noire' - Collins Online Dictionary

    English Translation of “BÊTE NOIRE” | The official Collins French-English Dictionary online. Over 100,000 English translations of French words and phrases.

  8. www.britannica.com › dictionary › bête-noireBête noire Definition & Meaning | Britannica Dictionary

    Britannica Dictionary definition of BÊTE NOIRE. [count] : a person or thing that someone dislikes very much. a politician who is the bête noire of liberal/conservative groups. Bête noire is a French phrase that means “black beast.”.