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
Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 26 June 2025
Restaurants are nightmares, but also special sites of communal care.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 26 June 2025
When confronted, deceit turns their romantic evening into a darkly comedic nightmare.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 25 June 2025
But the sailing would quickly turn into the stuff of nightmares.
—Natalia Senanayake, People.com, 24 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for nightmare
Noun
Sánchez also prefers a side part — a controversial choice nowadays, considering much of the beauty community tired of it after its nightmare heyday in the early 2000s.
—Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 26 June 2025
Restaurants are nightmares, but also special sites of communal care.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 26 June 2025
When confronted, deceit turns their romantic evening into a darkly comedic nightmare.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 25 June 2025
But the sailing would quickly turn into the stuff of nightmares.
—Natalia Senanayake, People.com, 24 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for nightmare
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nightmare
Noun
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But playing with an already-strained right calf, the Oshkosh, Wis., native stepped awkwardly towards the basket and crumbled to the court in agony when his leg appeared to pop.—
Sean Neumann,
People.com,
24 June 2025
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Finding alternatives that would end this agony would be one of American science’s most important achievements.—
Rachel Fobar,
Vox,
14 May 2025
Adjective
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Throughout the Holocaust, the Nazis concentrated European Jews in urban ghettos, which were marked by horrific living conditions, forced labor and the threat of execution.—
Tom Dreisbach,
NPR,
30 June 2025
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And that's a tough sell to a jury that spent weeks listening to horrific testimony about Diddy and his empire.—
Lauryn Overhultz,
FOXNews.com,
29 June 2025
Noun
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Humidity is adding to the misery Oppressive humidity is accompanying the heat wave, according to Weather.com meteorologist Jonathan Erdman.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
25 June 2025
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Cuomo, age 67 and one of the last powerful men to succumb to the #MeToo movement, is an unlikely standard-bearer for a Democratic Party desperate to move on from the miseries of the past decade, but New York politics isn’t famous for its uncomplicated options.—
Chris Stirewalt,
The Hill,
17 June 2025
Adjective
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Accounts of government and police repression have only gotten more gruesome, with Amnesty Kenya reporting that 16 people have been shot and killed as of June 28 and local officials claiming that hundreds have been injured (while also alleging that most of those hurt were police officers).—
Mankaprr Conteh,
Rolling Stone,
30 June 2025
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Forget turning on some gruesome horror movie: reading the daily headlines is enough to make just about anyone scream.—
Christian Allaire,
Vogue,
26 June 2025
Noun
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Her post-Sisterhood career has featured roles in horror flicks (The Grudge 2), cringe comedies (The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret), medical dramas (House), and sitcoms (Two and a Half Men).—
EW.com,
EW.com,
28 June 2025
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The world is cruel, unfair and full of horrors, many of which will grow increasingly grotesque in our lifetimes.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
27 June 2025
Adjective
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The 6-foot-7 forward will join Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis with the Mavericks, who are looking to turn around the franchise following the shocking midseason trade of Luka Dončić in February.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
27 June 2025
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The Paris heavyweight routed Atletico Madrid 4-0 in their Club World Cup opening game, suffered a shocking 1-0 upset by Brazilian club Botafogo in their second match, and then beat the Seattle Sounders 2-0 to clinch first place in the group.—
Michelle Kaufman,
Miami Herald,
27 June 2025
Noun
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There have been reports of human rights violations, including torture and forced confessions at the facility.—
Somayeh Malekian,
ABC News,
24 June 2025
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Washington — The Supreme Court on Monday lifted a lower court order that prevented the Trump administration from deporting migrants to countries that are not their places of origin without first giving them the chance to raise fears of torture, persecution or death.—
June 23,
CBS News,
23 June 2025
Adjective
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To be able to say that so many writers have been meaningful to you is not a horrible thing.—
John Warner,
Chicago Tribune,
28 June 2025
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If Flagg develops into the human triple double who leads the team to the Western Conference Finals and NBA Finals in his first six years, the trade can be called not a horrible deal.—
Mac Engel,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
26 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nightmare.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nightmare. Accessed 7 Jul. 2025.
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