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

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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
At this point, things take a supernatural leap that has already been portended by various visions and nightmares. — Dennis Harvey, Variety, 26 July 2026 And for Flames fans, his second-round series-winning goal in 2022 in Calgary is a nightmare to relive. — Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 25 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
  • Beyond the torn tissue itself, internal bleeding and swelling can intensify the agony.
    — Angela Haupt, Time, 22 July 2026
  • Negron shared her agony over losing her brother on social media.
    — Julian Roberts-Grmela, New York Daily News, 18 July 2026
Definition of agony
Adjective
  • Her family members could be seen getting emotional as the detective described the horrific scene.
    — Alex Stone, ABC News, 21 July 2026
  • The end of this horrific tableau draws a distinct difference between Loustat and Loumand.
    — Sabrina Reed, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
Definition of horrific
Noun
  • Little overnight relief Exacerbating the misery will be the lack of cooling temperatures overnight.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 21 July 2026
  • Smith Galer has much to say against the case for putting languages out of their misery, but her focus is on a point with which even the most unsentimental can surely sympathize.
    — Nikhil Krishnan, New Yorker, 20 July 2026
Definition of misery
Adjective
  • During the five-day preliminary hearing, prosecutors displayed gruesome crime scene images of Hernandez’s remains and produced hundreds of text messages between Burke and Hernandez that provided an in-depth look at their relationship.
    — Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 29 July 2026
  • The previous day, multiple gruesome photos of the crime scene were exhibited on screen.
    — Nicole Acosta, PEOPLE, 28 July 2026
Definition of gruesome
Noun
  • Remember when there was a wave of filmmakers all trying to make murderous Steamboat Willie horror movies because the character had entered the public domain?
    — Brian Welk, IndieWire, 29 July 2026
  • Jordan received his first Academy nod and victory for Ryan Coogler’s vampire horror film.
    — Mya Copeland, Variety, 29 July 2026
Definition of horror
Adjective
  • Randy Orton made a shocking return to WWE SummerSlam 2026, hitting an RKO on Cody Rhodes before CM Punk was able to capitalize with a fifth GTS.
    — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026
  • This may have seemed shocking to those who associated alien life primarily with science fiction invasion scenarios like The War of the Worlds.
    — Danny Robb, JSTOR Daily, 30 July 2026
Definition of shocking
Noun
  • Her work has included uncovering human trafficking networks, revealing an ISIS underground torture prison in Syria, documenting the war in Ukraine and interviewing senior political figures and world leaders.
    — Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 30 July 2026
  • One of the longstanding practices for asylum seekers — people who have left their country fearing torture or persecution — is to first interview with an immigration officer.
    — Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 28 July 2026
Definition of torture
Adjective
  • The Badgers have had horrible injury luck, which has led to bad QB play the past few years.
    — Antonio Morales, New York Times, 27 July 2026
  • Aemond raves about his horrible older brother who spent their youth tormenting him.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 26 July 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 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on nightmare

Nglish: Translation of nightmare for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about nightmare

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