What does boogeymen mean?
Boogeymen are threatening figures, real or imagined, that are invoked to frighten, scold, or intimidate. The word is the standard plural of boogeyman and is especially common in political, parental, and institutional disputes, where a person, organization, or policy is cast as a frightening danger. Such uses are figurative and often deliberately alarmist: calling someone a boogeyman suggests that the threat is exaggerated or manufactured. The term can also denote genuinely menacing people, though that sense is less frequent. Because it belongs primarily to informal, rhetorical English, boogeymen is more conversational and emotionally charged than neutral words such as threat or menace. Its vivid sound and irregular-feeling plural make it particularly effective in storytelling, campaign rhetoric, and warnings aimed at children. It is also useful in discussing how fear can be used to persuade or control an audience.
noun (plural)An imagined or portrayed source of fear, especially one invoked to frighten, threaten, or intimidate others. The standard plural of boogeyman.
- Imagined or portrayed frightening figures used to threaten, frighten, or intimidate.
- Threatening people or institutions invoked as sources of danger, especially in political or rhetorical arguments.
"The candidates accused each other of hiding behind political boogeymen."
"The story portrayed shadowy boogeymen lurking in the abandoned house."
"In the debate, each side claimed that the proposed regulations were little more than corporate boogeymen."
The standard plural of boogeyman, replacing -man with -men.
"Several unseen boogeymen were said to be haunting the old house."
One unseen boogeyman can scare a child; a whole pack of boogeymen can shape an election.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does boogeymen come from?
The word belongs to a family of 20th-century English spellings that includes bogeyman, boogieman, and boogie-man; the plural of the standard modern boogeyman is boogeymen. The precise origin of the boogie or bogey element is not securely established, although the latter is connected with bogeyman and the former supplies the first element of boogie-man. The plural applies the regular English compound pattern by changing the final man to men.
Related word forms
How boogeymen is actually used
The term is informal and strongly rhetorical. It often carries the implication that a threat is exaggerated or manufactured, although it can also refer to genuinely menacing people. British and American speakers differ noticeably in the initial vowel of the word.
Easily confused with boogeymen
Bogeymen is a spelling variant of the same plural; boogeymen is the standard modern spelling, and the two normally have identical meanings.