bane of one's existence
4
7.8
- idiom
:
maldición de la existencia
- Excel is the bane of my existence.
- just the bane of one's existence
Examples
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My naturally curly hair has been the bane of my existence.
Blog text (9) -
For years, Frank had been the bane of my existence, always making my life difficult.
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This man is the bane of my existence.
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That woman is the bane of my existence.
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That tape has been the bane of my existence.
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It's the bane of my existence.
Blog text (21) -
You have been the bane of my existence since they voted you apartment manager.
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Poachers are the bane of my existence.
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As a frequent business traveler, expenses are the bane of my existence.
Blog text (17) -
WordPress had unfortunately become a bane of my existence as it would not let me post pics accurately, and I could not figure out why.
Blog text (6)
Synonyms
109
9.2
A person or thing that is very annoying and difficult to deal with
62
3.6
A person or thing that annoys others and causes trouble
29
2.1
A thing that causes trouble or annoyance
21
3.2
A person or thing that bothers you
8
8.0
A very annoying person or thing that causes trouble
1
6.3
A person or thing that keeps causing trouble for someone
1
7.0
Something that keeps causing you trouble or worry
Antonyms
How Troublesome
- Formal
1
9.1
- NSFW
70
5.6
4
7.8
62
3.6
21
3.2
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun 'bane' already encodes 'a source of significant distress' and the of-phrase 'of one's existence' simply specifies that this source affects someone's life; thus the overall meaning is directly derivable from the parts. The structure (noun + of-phrase) is a standard compositional pattern found across languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents should understand it.
Etymology
Bane of one's existence comes from the old word bane, meaning a 'poison' or thing that kills, and existence, meaning 'life'. The picture is of something that harms your life over and over, so it now means 'a person or thing that causes constant misery or trouble'.