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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of nightmare
Kathleen Ferraro, SELF, 4 June 2025
The visceral energy of the anger of this guy in a clown suit is the stuff of nightmares.
—Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2025
In a text to Combs at the time, Mia shared the details of the nightmare, where she was trapped in an elevator with R. Kelly — until Diddy came to her rescue.
—Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 3 June 2025
Saving him and others is their work Pratt & Whitney union votes to approve new contract, end strike
Private equity created a ‘nightmare’ in CT hospitals, staff say.
—Sean Krofssik, Hartford Courant, 27 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for nightmare
Noun
For me, the focus was often on the memories behind my nightmares, insomnia, and flashbacks.
—Kathleen Ferraro, SELF, 4 June 2025
The visceral energy of the anger of this guy in a clown suit is the stuff of nightmares.
—Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2025
In a text to Combs at the time, Mia shared the details of the nightmare, where she was trapped in an elevator with R. Kelly — until Diddy came to her rescue.
—Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 3 June 2025
Saving him and others is their work Pratt & Whitney union votes to approve new contract, end strike
Private equity created a ‘nightmare’ in CT hospitals, staff say.
—Sean Krofssik, Hartford Courant, 27 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for nightmare
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nightmare
Noun
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Barking in agony, the fox scratches and claws in any attempt to free itself and get to safety.—
Outside Online,
Outside Online,
28 May 2025
-
Michaela calmly explains that Jocelyn got botched plastic surgery that’s kept her in private agony for the last decade.—
Caroline Framke,
Vulture,
23 May 2025
Adjective
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That this horrific upheaval comes care of Lucy’s work is the real kicker.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
9 June 2025
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This is what Qasem Hassan had feared from the start—that the horrific violence inflicted on Israelis on October 7th would be used to justify a war without limits, dehumanizing all Palestinians.—
Eyal Press,
New Yorker,
9 June 2025
Noun
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In a season full of misery and a historic number of losses, there was plenty of reason to celebrate Colorado’s first walk-off win.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
12 June 2025
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Greta’s missed opportunity to understand the deep roots of this misery is another lesson lost to the world.—
Boston Herald editorial staff,
Boston Herald,
11 June 2025
Adjective
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But Trump and Epstein’s association has been out in the open for nearly a quarter century; nineties-era footage of the gruesome twosome together at Mar-a-Lago, leering at a group of young cheerleaders, has been circulating since at least 2019.—
Jessica Winter,
New Yorker,
6 June 2025
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Six decades later, Hamas would engage in a gruesome competition with Fatah to outdo one another with terrorist attacks during the 1990s and early 2000s.—
Sean Durns,
The Washington Examiner,
6 June 2025
Noun
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Phobias, a silent clown duo with a horror twist, brought eerie theatrics to the stage — complete with balloon popping and unsettling surprises — and successfully freaked out the judges (especially Howie Mandel).—
Jessica Lynch,
Billboard,
4 June 2025
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The project marks the Indian star’s first horror entertainer, a departure from his typical action fare.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
3 June 2025
Adjective
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Continuing a recent pattern of face-to-furniture collisions on the talk show, the 69-year-old's head made a momentous journey plummeting toward the program's storied table at the top of Tuesday's live broadcast, after panelist Joy Behar made a shocking joke about Sean Combs.—
Joey Nolfi Published,
EW.com,
3 June 2025
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The toll represented a shocking increase from the 20 deaths recorded in 2019.—
Lauren Villagran,
USA Today,
2 June 2025
Noun
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As many as 40,000 Ravensbrück inmates died of starvation, disease, torture, shooting, lethal injections, medical experiments, and from lethal gas.—
Olivia B. Waxman,
Time,
4 June 2025
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Secretary Noem argues the program has been abused, but immigration advocacy groups have warned that many immigrants would be vulnerable to abuse, torture, or arrest should they be forced to return home.—
Dan Gooding
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 June 2025
Adjective
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Even with the horrible start the Red Sox still nearly came all the way back, twice drawing to within one run, but the club couldn’t get over the hump.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
3 June 2025
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We were made aware of this horrible activity by Priscilla Olivarez from ILRC, at our annual conference Convening 2025, held in San Antonio.—
Billal Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nightmare.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nightmare. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.
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