Bete Noire Definition

bĕt nwär

bete-noire

noun

One that is particularly disliked or that is to be avoided.

American Heritage

A person or thing that one especially or obsessively dislikes or fears.

Webster's New World

One that is particularly disliked or that is to be avoided.

American Heritage

An anathema; someone or something which is particularly disliked or avoided; an object of aversion, the bane of one’s existence.

Wiktionary

Synonyms:

Origin of Bete Noire

Borrowing from French bête noire (literally “black beast”).

From Wiktionary
French bête beast noire black

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
French bête beast noire black

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition