boogeyman
/ˈbʊɡiˌmæn/
noun
- An imaginary monster or evil spirit used to frighten children.
- Parents sometimes tell stories about the boogeyman to get kids to behave.
- She was afraid of the dark because she believed the boogeyman might be hiding in the closet.
- My little brother thinks the boogeyman lives under his bed.
- A person or thing that is widely feared or blamed, often unfairly.
- In the debate, the politician was portrayed as the boogeyman of the economy.
- Some people treat technology as a boogeyman that ruins social skills.
- The media often makes a boogeyman out of a new virus before we understand it.