nightmare 1 of 2

noun

ˈnīt-ˌmer How to pronounce nightmare (audio)
Definition of nightmarenext
as in agony
a situation or state that causes great suffering and unhappiness that 20-page exam was a nightmare

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

nightmare

2 of 2

adjective

as in horrific
extremely disturbing or repellent survivors of a nuclear holocaust would surely face a nightmare existence

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of nightmare
Noun
Unfortunately, premature celebration and relief is part of any true nightmare. — Alex Robinson, Outdoor Life, 28 Oct. 2026 As intestinal parasites go, tapeworms are the stuff of nightmares. — Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 28 Oct. 2026
Adjective
This is the nightmare scenario behind the Kessler syndrome, a cascading chain of collisions that could render entire orbital pathways unusable. — Alan Bradley, Space.com, 2 Aug. 2026 But the 22-year-old is not alone in having a nightmare individual performance on a high-profile sporting stage. — Eduardo Tansley, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for nightmare
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nightmare
  1. agony
  2. horrific
  3. misery
  4. gruesome
  5. horror
  6. shocking
  7. torture
  8. horrible
Noun
  • Taking the McDavid minutes away gives us the purest form of agony these defencemen are experiencing at this time.
    — Allan Mitchell, New York Times, 28 Oct. 2026
  • The prisoner in question, Doug Korpi, had also admitted that his agony was an act to journalist Ben Blum, who included the revelation in a broader takedown of the experiment published in 2018.
    — Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of agony
Adjective
  • The battle is between that horrible atmosphere and some of the horrific candidates that have been nominated by the Democratic Party.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026
  • The plot is carried out to horrific proportions, but the subjects are so utterly moronic that the gag stops being amusing.
    — Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of horrific
Noun
  • While some issues are clearly partisan — including the country’s current economic misery, the long-running war in Iran and the attacks on the Affordable Care Act — others are grounded in basic decency.
    — Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 Nov. 2026
  • But the stand-alone fragment, in the seeming spirit of Franz Kafka’s surreal and unsettling fiction, links success to misery, and happiness to death.
    — Robert S. Levine, The Conversation, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of misery
Adjective
  • Thunder star Jalen Williams, the team’s second-leading scorer and best all-around defender during its title run two seasons ago, fractured a fibula and dislocated his left ankle in a gruesome injury Sunday.
    — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Rescue workers continue to search in the wreckage for survivors and bodies, with witnesses describing a gruesome scene.
    — Anders Hagstrom, FOXNews.com, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of gruesome
Noun
  • The couple’s case files later became the basis for the Conjuring horror film series, one of the highest-grossing franchises in the genre.
    — Frannie Comstock, Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Oct. 2026
  • In my opinion, the second half of Vertigo is more psychological horror than mystery.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of horror
Adjective
  • In 2017, McDowell suffered another shocking loss when Paxton died following heart surgery.
    — Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 29 Oct. 2026
  • The project follows Anna, who races to conceal the shocking truth about her best friend’s death on the night of her 21st birthday.
    — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of shocking
Noun
  • The screwdrivers were recovered from his car’s trunk, and are purported to be torture utensils.
    — Rick Kogan, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Sarah Kimani, Amnesty International’s media manager, told the AP in a January interview that the organization’s research documents summary executions, torture, abductions and rape by both government forces and the OLA.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of torture
Adjective
  • Their monthlong travel by ship was under horrible conditions.
    — Lois K. Solomon, Sun Sentinel, 2 Nov. 2026
  • While the fire was horrible, Hong said some blessings have emerged from the tragedy.
    — Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of horrible

Browse Nearby Words

nightly
nightmare
nightmares
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Cite this Entry

“Nightmare.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nightmare. Accessed 4 Nov. 2026.

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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about nightmare

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