boogieman
Child's nocturnal fear
A boogieman is a frightening creature invoked to scare children into good behavior—a monster in the closet, under the bed, or lurking in the dark.
The word extends to any feared person or thing used as a threat: The tax man has become the boogieman of small business owners.
Also spelled bogeyman or boogeyman.
Living, sentient entity
- ghoulUndead flesh-eating demon
- phantomInsubstantial apparition
- specterGhostly threatening presence
- goblinMalicious folklore creature
fiend · demon · shadowy · lurking · supernatural · apparition · malevolent · sinister
Designated hour for retiring
- closetBuilt-in storage chamber
- darknessTotal absence of light
- underbedSpace below sleeping platform
- shadowsDark areas from blocked light
warning · misbehavior · naughty · cautionary · parental · imagination · fearful · whispers
Total absence of light
- dreadIntense anticipatory fear
- fearEmotional response to threat
- anxietyPersistent apprehensive distress
- insomniaPersistent inability to rest
hallucination · restlessness · creeping · lurking · haunted · torment · nocturnal · sleepless
Unfairly blamed person
- fearmongeringDeliberately spreading exaggerated threats
- propagandaBiased information for influence
- scaremongeringSpreading exaggerated threats
- panicUncontrollable sudden fear
exaggeration · manipulation · hysteria · paranoia · alarmism · invented · mythologized · demonized
creature
Living, sentient entity
goblin · fiend · demon · shadowy · lurking · supernatural · apparition · malevolent · sinister · shapeshifter
bedtime
Designated hour for retiring
shadows · warning · misbehavior · naughty · cautionary · parental · imagination · fearful · whispers · invisible
darkness
Total absence of light
- dreadIntense anticipatory fear
- fearEmotional response to threat
- anxietyPersistent apprehensive distress
insomnia · hallucination · restlessness · creeping · lurking · haunted · torment · nocturnal · sleepless · terrifying
scapegoat
Unfairly blamed person
- fearmongeringDeliberately spreading exaggerated threats
- propagandaBiased information for influence
- scaremongeringSpreading exaggerated threats
panic · exaggeration · manipulation · hysteria · paranoia · alarmism · invented · mythologized · demonized · political
legend
Unverified traditional tale
- folktalesTraditional oral narratives
- loreTraditional knowledge transmitted orally
- superstitionBaseless belief in omens
myth · fable · tradition · cultural · ancestral · storytelling · coco
boogiemanguardian angel
Protective spirit assigned individually
protector · guardian · fairy godmother · security blanket · teddy bear
boogiemanguardian angel
Protective spirit assigned individually
hero · Santa Claus · savior · saint · good fairy