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
Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Sep. 2025
Alex stumbles upon true pornographic nightmare fuel.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2025
Nic Juarez, Vulture, 14 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nightmare
Noun
Service dogs can help people with PTSD by waking them during nightmares.
—Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Sep. 2025
Alex stumbles upon true pornographic nightmare fuel.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2025
Adjective
That alone would be nightmare enough, but this debate has been constructed and is moderated by Sam Reich.
—Nic Juarez, Vulture, 14 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nightmare
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nightmare
Noun
-
Safdie may have found a new way to make a sports drama, one that relies less on the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat and more on all that is contained in the ambivalent middle.—
Richard Lawson,
Rolling Stone,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Lessing expresses no regret or agony at her childhood actions, or at what happens next.—
Rebecca van Laer
September 30,
Literary Hub,
30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Those bots have attracted lawsuits in horrific instances where users lost their grip on reality or took their own lives after interacting with them.—
Jim Edwards,
Fortune,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Many of the base’s survivors have similarly described the singularly horrific nature of those 45 square miles in eastern Cuba.—
Miriam Pensack,
The Dial,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
By the time the misery was over, Skubal walked toward the dugout, took a hard seat on the bench and clasped his hands.—
Cody Stavenhagen,
New York Times,
24 Sep. 2025
-
Far from signaling misery, crying can be a source of pleasure, as when people pay good money to read a tearjerker or watch a three-hankie movie.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
23 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The crew have put two giant skeletons with their arms in the air like gruesome wacky waving inflatable tube men at the Farm's entrance to catch your eye and indicate where the spooky fun is at.—
Meredith G. White,
AZCentral.com,
25 Sep. 2025
-
The fake blood trapped between the layers bursts out at the incision point, replicating in gruesome detail the sensation of real bleeding.—
Mack DeGeurin,
Popular Science,
25 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
What the American people really deserve is not mass resignations or brief, fake shutdowns that stir up political chaos in Washington, DC, while Americans across the country watch in horror or turn a blind eye in disgust.—
Nicole Russell,
USA Today,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Over the course of nine films that span more than 50 years, not once does horror film icon Leatherface take sensible chainsaw safety precautions.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
That’s the most shocking thing.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
30 Sep. 2025
-
As if that wasn’t enough motivation, the Horned Frogs (3-1, 0-1 Big 12) will face Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes (2-3, 0-2) for the first time since Sanders led the Buffs to a shocking 45-42 upset in Fort Worth to open the 2023 season.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The killing involved a lengthy beating and torture.—
Evan Mealins,
Nashville Tennessean,
3 Oct. 2025
-
Under Venezuela’s constitution, such a declaration allows the government to suspend some guarantees for up to 90 days, renewable once, though basic rights such as life and protection from torture remain in place.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Miami could choose to move on from the star receiver due to the horrible season-ending injury.—
James Brizuela,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Many of the game’s best teams spent the regular season alternating between brilliant and horrible.—
Levi Weaver,
New York Times,
30 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nightmare.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nightmare. Accessed 4 Oct. 2025.
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