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
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Recent Examples of nightmare
Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 24 Oct. 2025
With Johnny back, Raquel’s dream situation is on the verge of becoming a nightmare.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 24 Oct. 2025
Nic Juarez, Vulture, 14 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nightmare
Noun
But for those crafting it with Boorman, the nightmare is more painful and more poignant than that.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 24 Oct. 2025
With Johnny back, Raquel’s dream situation is on the verge of becoming a nightmare.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 24 Oct. 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
-
The three women waited in agony for Randolph to get home, but the suffering only got worse.—
Kaycee Sloan,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
30 Oct. 2025
-
This approaching wall of agony might understandably have stressed out Šobat.—
Sean Williams,
Outside,
27 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
However, watching the slow and steady movement of a horrific storm on a collision course with my beloved land over the last several days was agonizing.—
Grace White,
Essence,
29 Oct. 2025
-
According to police, the horrific incident began when the child’s mother, who was out of town on Friday, asked her father to check on her daughter as she was being cared for by the nanny.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Springsteen grew up alongside rock’n’roll, absorbing its origin story and waiting for the day when his ability to write a killer riff would transport him from the misery of living with a father who didn’t understand him, shut off from a world that promised so much but gave so little.—
Sadie Sartini Garner,
Pitchfork,
24 Oct. 2025
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Whether the Monster is part of Ana’s imagination or not, the scene carries a fragile, haunting power, suggesting that the only person capable of rescuing Ana from the pervasive mystery and misery of her home life belongs to the supernatural, outside the punishing borders of Franco’s Spain.—
Rory Doherty,
Vulture,
20 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Halloween was significantly more graphic than many of its predecessors, and Zombie said the gruesome violence was a deliberate choice and that it wasn’t supposed to be easy viewing.—
Jessica Sager,
PEOPLE,
24 Oct. 2025
-
The five-minute mash-up rapidly intercuts scenes of happy domesticity (a loving mother, kids in face paint eating popcorn in front of the tube, teens affectionately goofing around) with gruesome murders committed by a beautiful little boy.—
David Wingrave,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Leone's horror anthology features a wraparound story about a babysitter, Sarah (Katie Maguire), and her two adolescent charges, Timmy and Tia, who find an unmarked VHS in their trick-or-treat bag.—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Oct. 2025
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From Jason Voorhees terrorizing all visitors of Camp Crystal Lake to Michael Myers persistently haunting the inhabitants of Haddonfield, Illinois, horror movies have relied on the silence and mystique of their main antagonists for decades.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
PEOPLE,
30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
However, the final moments of season 5 also saw the shocking death of Cinda Canning (Tina Fey) — or a convincing doppelgänger — outside the Arconia, teasing the mystery Mabel, Charles and Oliver.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
28 Oct. 2025
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But the real draw here is Cut's elaborate torture device, which uses piano wire in inventive and shocking ways.—
Katie Rife,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Morelli also corresponded with the man obtaining the videos for him and asked that the torture of the animals be prolonged in subsequent videos, according to a copy of the indictment filed in the case and obtained by PEOPLE.—
Chris Spargo,
PEOPLE,
31 Oct. 2025
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Some of the messages — which were exchanged through platforms including Skype, Zoom and Teleguard — included references to drug use, satanism and child torture.—
Muri Assuncao,
Mercury News,
29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The New York Jets’ Sunday began with a horrible loss, as legendary center Nick Mangold passed away after a long battle with kidney disease.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
26 Oct. 2025
-
Šilovs did, however, look horrible in the shootout.—
Josh Yohe,
New York Times,
26 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nightmare.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nightmare. Accessed 2 Nov. 2025.
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