Meaning & use
bane of my existence
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Meaning
phraseidiominformalhumorous
A person or thing that keeps annoying or troubling you and that you wish you could be rid of.
Grammar: Used after a form of be; the possessive changes with the speaker: the bane of her existence.
Patterns
- something is the bane of my existence
- be the bane of someone's existence
My neighbor's leaf blower is the bane of my existence every autumn.
Slow wifi has become the bane of my existence since we moved.
Fractions were the bane of my existence in fourth grade.
Common combinations
- be the bane of my existence
- Parking tickets are the bane of my existence.
- the bane of her existence
- The printer is the bane of her existence at the office.
- the bane of every teacher's existence
- Phones in class are the bane of every teacher's existence.
- the absolute bane of my existence
- Monday meetings are the absolute bane of my existence.
Synonyms and how they differ
- pet peeve
- A pet peeve is a small, personal irritation, while bane of my existence sounds bigger and more dramatic.
- thorn in my side
- Thorn in my side suggests a nagging, ongoing difficulty and is a little less jokey than the headword.
- nemesis
- Nemesis implies a long rivalry with an opponent, whereas the headword can describe any irritating object or habit.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: bane of my existence or bane of existence?
bane of my existence vs bane of existence
Learners sometimes drop my; the idiom is normally bane of my (his, her, their) existence, and the possessive refers to the person bothered.
Practice
My little brother says his alarm clock is the ___ of his existence.
Choose one answer.
The idiom uses bane, meaning a source of constant trouble. Ban, bean and bone sound similar but do not make the idiom.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “bane of my existence”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.