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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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
Texas giant Buc-ee's is facing a public relations nightmare after suing Mickey's, an Ohio convenience store, over its moose mascot. — Roger Dooley, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026 Vaniček was responsible for that arachnophobia-nightmare fodder Infested from 2023, and the idea of injecting some late New French Extremity into the Evil Dead bloodstream is tantalizing. — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 10 July 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
  1. agony
  2. horrific
  3. misery
  4. gruesome
  5. horror
  6. shocking
  7. torture
  8. horrible
Noun
  • For nearly three weeks, 21-year-old Denijah Myers has been missing, and her family is in agony.
    — Francie Ebert, NBC news, 13 July 2026
  • Wells’s parents expressed their own version of that agony at a press conference with Crump on Friday in New York City.
    — Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 13 July 2026
Definition of agony
Adjective
  • On one level, Knife is a story of survival and recovery after a horrific attack.
    — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 14 July 2026
  • Mosley’s case drew the attention of Guardian Angel founder and 2025 Republican mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa, who stood with animal lovers in demanding a stiff penalty in response to the cat’s horrific death.
    — Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 10 July 2026
Definition of horrific
Noun
  • Not to be outdone, other tick species are also spreading out and causing more misery.
    — Meg Tirrell, CNN Money, 14 July 2026
  • Nobody, save biblical Job, has had more misery hurled at them.
    — Alex Pulaski, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026
Definition of misery
Adjective
  • The rest of the trailer is filled with the kind of Eighties-style excess — with a gruesome tinge — that showcases what a good match Ellis and Murphy are for each other.
    — Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 14 July 2026
  • Their early live shows were marked by ominous guitar riffs, blast beats, and gruesome antics onstage, feeding into the early signs of a new heavy metal subgenre that would become death metal.
    — Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 14 July 2026
Definition of gruesome
Noun
  • He is seen as anti-business — FTSE-100 chairs and chief executives privately express horror at the idea of him as chancellor — and as market-unfriendly because he is viewed as less committed than Reeves to fiscal discipline.
    — Ian King, CNBC, 15 July 2026
  • Doppelgängers are common in literature, horror movies, and folklore.
    — René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 15 July 2026
Definition of horror
Adjective
  • Yet somehow, two decades later, the viciously antisemitic Vichy regime planted itself in power; a shocking betrayal by France of some of its most loyal and generous supporters, in a dehumanizing toxic swamp of suspicion, judgment, envy.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 July 2026
  • As shocking as the scandal surrounding Terrion Arnold is, the 2024 first-round pick had not played that well, and the Lions could be better without him.
    — Vic Tafur, New York Times, 17 July 2026
Definition of shocking
Noun
  • But the government’s killings, torture, and abductions continued for years after the final whistle had blown.
    — Minky Worden, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
  • Allegations of systematic torture The complaint accuses Venezuela’s military counterintelligence agency, known by its Spanish initials DGCIM, of carrying out systematic torture under Maduro’s direction.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 14 July 2026
Definition of torture
Adjective
  • The toll was horrible, with some families suffering multiple deaths and injuries.
    — Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 13 July 2026
  • Plus, Palmer is a horrible person — in this case, the victim is much more despicable than the thieves.
    — Oline H. Cogdill, Sun Sentinel, 8 July 2026
Definition of horrible

Browse Nearby Words

nightly
nightmare
nightmares
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP

Cite this Entry

“Nightmare.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nightmare. Accessed 21 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on nightmare

Nglish: Translation of nightmare for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about nightmare

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of dog days

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
child-detective
Spot the Misspelled Word July 2026 Those little red underlines can't help you now...
See All