as in gruesome
extremely disturbing or repellent
a photographic exhibit of nightmarish images from the wars of the 20th century
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Recent Examples of nightmarish
With Boston sealing the sweep on a game-winning single from Jarren Duran, a nightmarish, long weekend at Fenway Park came to a painful end for the Bombers.
—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
29 June 2026
On the other end of the spectrum was a nightmarish third inning in which the hosts scored 10 runs.
—
Kansas City Star,
27 June 2026
Aside from serving up Joe Carter’s homer, what was the Wild Thing’s most nightmarish feat in the 1993 World Series?
—
Jayson Stark,
New York Times,
26 June 2026
What begins as a simple burglary spirals into a nightmarish ordeal after one sister throws out her back and becomes immobilized on the second floor.
—
Anthony D'alessandro,
Deadline,
25 June 2026
At first glance, Codey looks like a nightmarish character from the year 3000.
—
Michelle Del Rey,
USA Today,
17 June 2026
In the show, the heroine shares nightmarish tales alongside Herneval, who appears not as a prince but a sentient book.
—
Carlos Aguilar,
Los Angeles Times,
15 June 2026
Fast forward a couple of decades, and the duo has joined forces for Find Your Friends, a nightmarish new horror-thriller about a girls' trip gone wrong.
—
Bailey Richards,
PEOPLE,
14 June 2026
Facing a nightmarish opponent, New Yorkers’ first response was to meet the moment with uncharacteristically cheerful jokes.
—
Leah Asmelash,
CNN Money,
9 June 2026
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
29 June 2026
On the other end of the spectrum was a nightmarish third inning in which the hosts scored 10 runs.
—
Kansas City Star,
27 June 2026
Aside from serving up Joe Carter’s homer, what was the Wild Thing’s most nightmarish feat in the 1993 World Series?
—
Jayson Stark,
New York Times,
26 June 2026
What begins as a simple burglary spirals into a nightmarish ordeal after one sister throws out her back and becomes immobilized on the second floor.
—
Anthony D'alessandro,
Deadline,
25 June 2026
At first glance, Codey looks like a nightmarish character from the year 3000.
—
Michelle Del Rey,
USA Today,
17 June 2026
In the show, the heroine shares nightmarish tales alongside Herneval, who appears not as a prince but a sentient book.
—
Carlos Aguilar,
Los Angeles Times,
15 June 2026
Fast forward a couple of decades, and the duo has joined forces for Find Your Friends, a nightmarish new horror-thriller about a girls' trip gone wrong.
—
Bailey Richards,
PEOPLE,
14 June 2026
Facing a nightmarish opponent, New Yorkers’ first response was to meet the moment with uncharacteristically cheerful jokes.
—
Leah Asmelash,
CNN Money,
9 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nightmarish
Adjective
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Chris Brown was found liable by a Los Angeles jury on Tuesday for $13 million in the gruesome case of a dog that mauled and disfigured his housekeeper at his home in 2020.
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But as the days dragged on, headlines about power outages and water shortages took a back seat to a far more gruesome and horrific reality.
Adjective
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Chicago city officials have never forgotten the lessons of the historic and horrific heat wave of July 1995, which killed 739 people in the Chicago area.
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Many of these countries are well known for horrific human rights abuses, lack of justice and abysmal detention conditions.
Adjective
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But the 22-year-old is not alone in having a nightmare individual performance on a high-profile sporting stage.
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This is the nightmare scenario for California Democrats.
Adjective
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Cape Verde began this run by making a statement, producing a shocking 0-0 draw against soccer powerhouse Spain on June 15 in its first-ever World Cup match.
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The Packers then blew a 21-3 halftime lead in the Wild Card round against Chicago, gave up 25 fourth quarter points and eventually suffered a shocking 31-27 loss to the arch-rival Bears.
Adjective
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The Red Sox offense has been horrible this season, but Contreras has been everything the club could have hoped for.
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Your cab driver is taking you on a horrible route.
Adjective
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Thank you to everyone who read or contributed to this column over the years, who reached out to me with story ideas or tips, or complimented my terrible artwork.
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Visitors will see his Rough Riders uniform; the 1884 diary grieving his terrible loss; and the eyeglasses case, speech and shirt from the 1912 assassination attempt against him.
Adjective
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The hypocrisy is stunning, and frightening.
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Yes, the Scots played poorly, but Brazil’s brilliant roster of attacking talent capitalized on mistakes with frightening efficiency.
Adjective
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The democratic socialist obsession with the world’s only Jewish state is horrifying.
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Botulism is a horrifying illness, leaving babies without the ability to suck and swallow properly or hold their heads up.
Cite this Entry
“Nightmarish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nightmarish. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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