as in horrors
a situation or state that causes great suffering and unhappiness
that 20-page exam was a nightmare
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Recent Examples of nightmares
Its owners have noted chilling ill effects after the art’s arrival, like insomnia, nightmares, and a sense of being constantly watched.
—
Literary Hub, 19 Mar. 2026
Even as the industry leans into horror at the box office and in the press, its upper echelon shows an equally strong urge to use the genre’s intensity as an excuse to look away from the nightmares that most need illuminating.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 17 Mar. 2026
Nations can’t just blink away the nightmares of authoritarianism or assume that removing a strongman will resolve the societal conditions that led to his rise.
—Michael Snyder, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2026
Ragusa’s paintings explore opulence, yet evoke a kind of existential angst, while Brown’s work reclaims the symbols that haunt our nightmares, turning fear into empowerment.
—Anya Sesay, jsonline.com, 13 Mar. 2026
Amazon Mesh Wi-Fi System Deal Say goodbye to dropped video calls and buffering nightmares with the Eero 6+ Mesh System.
—Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 11 Mar. 2026
In-lab sleep tests can identify the cause of abnormal behaviors that happen while someone is sleeping like recurrent nightmares, sleepwalking and more.
—Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 10 Mar. 2026
Months earlier, the county passed a slew of land-use changes that vastly expanded suburban sprawl in southwest Broward, creating traffic nightmares that remain today.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 9 Mar. 2026
Then have several weeks’ worth of nightmares.
—Ramon Ramirez, Austin American Statesman, 8 Mar. 2026
Literary Hub, 19 Mar. 2026
Even as the industry leans into horror at the box office and in the press, its upper echelon shows an equally strong urge to use the genre’s intensity as an excuse to look away from the nightmares that most need illuminating.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 17 Mar. 2026
Nations can’t just blink away the nightmares of authoritarianism or assume that removing a strongman will resolve the societal conditions that led to his rise.
—Michael Snyder, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2026
Ragusa’s paintings explore opulence, yet evoke a kind of existential angst, while Brown’s work reclaims the symbols that haunt our nightmares, turning fear into empowerment.
—Anya Sesay, jsonline.com, 13 Mar. 2026
Amazon Mesh Wi-Fi System Deal Say goodbye to dropped video calls and buffering nightmares with the Eero 6+ Mesh System.
—Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 11 Mar. 2026
In-lab sleep tests can identify the cause of abnormal behaviors that happen while someone is sleeping like recurrent nightmares, sleepwalking and more.
—Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 10 Mar. 2026
Months earlier, the county passed a slew of land-use changes that vastly expanded suburban sprawl in southwest Broward, creating traffic nightmares that remain today.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 9 Mar. 2026
Then have several weeks’ worth of nightmares.
—Ramon Ramirez, Austin American Statesman, 8 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nightmares
Noun
-
Joshua Hammer There has never been a moral and historical reckoning with the horrors inflicted by the Allied firebombing of Japan during World War II.—
Giri Nathan,
The New York Review of Books,
21 Mar. 2026
-
What horrors await her, us, and the rest of the entertainment industry?—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Hadi’s exceptional attention gives cinematic identity to collective artisanal energy, to the life force of care and devotion that stands outside the agonies of politics, to the spirit that endures a regime and outlives it.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
In that final part of the cycle—the writing part—were torments, perhaps even tortures, but good things happened.—
Jake Lundberg,
The Atlantic,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Former Jews deemed insufficiently converted faced the Spanish Inquisition’s tortures.—
David Bloom,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Inarguably one of the best teams in the country annually, the Boilermakers had a string of March miseries.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
18 Mar. 2026
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And allergy miseries don’t end after the spring.—
Tom Gavin,
EverydayHealth.com,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
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For example, Madrazo’s depiction of the daughters of El Cid echoes Yáñez’s treatment of Sebastian’s torments, and Guerrero has deeply studied Spanish baroque painting.—
Benjamin Lima
Special Contributor,
Dallas Morning News,
18 Mar. 2026
-
In that final part of the cycle—the writing part—were torments, perhaps even tortures, but good things happened.—
Jake Lundberg,
The Atlantic,
19 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Nightmares.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nightmares. Accessed 25 Mar. 2026.
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