as in agony
a situation or state that causes great suffering and unhappiness
that 20-page exam was a nightmare
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in horrific
extremely disturbing or repellent
survivors of a nuclear holocaust would surely face a nightmare existence
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of nightmare
Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 18 June 2026
Older children may have panic attacks, nightmares, and difficulty focusing, Mendoza said.
—Claudia Boyd-Barrett, CBS News, 18 June 2026
Eduardo Tansley, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2026
This is the nightmare scenario for California Democrats.
—Tom Charron, Mercury News, 6 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for nightmare
Noun
But that enthusiasm quickly turned into a nightmare after the Jets began the season 0-7 and Fields was benched for his poor play.
—Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 18 June 2026
Older children may have panic attacks, nightmares, and difficulty focusing, Mendoza said.
—Claudia Boyd-Barrett, CBS News, 18 June 2026
Adjective
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
This is the nightmare scenario for California Democrats.
—Tom Charron, Mercury News, 6 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for nightmare
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nightmare
Noun
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The reticence of Cartland’s heroes belies agonies of loneliness.—
Simon Perry,
PEOPLE,
18 June 2026
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And your character is in such agony.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
17 June 2026
Adjective
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The six-month delay was vehemently opposed by most plaintiff attorneys, who say their clients have suffered horrific abuse and are in desperate need of cash.—
Rebecca Ellis,
Los Angeles Times,
15 June 2026
-
The Oscar-winning Capote had the dramatic advantage of a protagonist investigating a horrific mass murder.—
Stephen Farber,
HollywoodReporter,
15 June 2026
Noun
-
So the roughly 2 million Palestinians in Gaza are now living in greater misery than ever.—
Thomas L. Friedman,
Mercury News,
16 June 2026
-
Knicks fans know all about the misery part.—
Sean Woods,
Rolling Stone,
15 June 2026
Adjective
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The historic victory, the nation’s first ever in the World Cup, was overshadowed when the midfielder injured his leg in gruesome fashion following a clumsy challenge from Qatar’s Assim Madibo.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
19 June 2026
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Men In Blazers Canada’s first-ever World Cup victory, a 6-0 demolition derby of Qatar, was overshadowed yesterday by a gruesome leg injury suffered by midfield maestro Ismaël Koné.—
Mark Hodge,
NBC news,
19 June 2026
Noun
-
Shelley’s famous Gothic horror novel was born out of those sessions.—
Jen Chaney,
Vulture,
17 June 2026
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Mostly, the show is an eccentric yet seamless mix of black humor and horror, with Wyck trying to convince Loftis that the island’s curses are real.—
Stephen Rodrick,
Rolling Stone,
16 June 2026
Adjective
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Deidre Hall delivered her most shocking slap yet on live TV on June 19.—
Lara Walsh,
InStyle,
20 June 2026
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Ahead of the episode, Raba spoke to the Star-Telegram about his journey playing this character and what’s next for Joaquin after the shocking reveal.—
Brayden Garcia,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
19 June 2026
Noun
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The ride from Aqueduct to Bethpage was pure torture.—
Joe Kinsey OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
16 June 2026
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Last year, a German court sentenced a Syrian doctor to life imprisonment for torture and war crimes in his Syrian homeland on Monday for killing two people and torturing nine in Syria between 2011 and 2012.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
15 June 2026
Adjective
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Iran’s terrible, horrible, no good, very bad World Cup got a lot better Sunday.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
21 June 2026
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What started as a horrible mistake ended up bringing the community together.—
Andrea Nakano,
CBS News,
18 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Nightmare.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nightmare. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
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