as in horrors
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of nightmares
Recurring nightmares are a meaningful red flag.
—
Allison Palmer, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 May 2026
For the last few years, he’s been mired in a complex web of mounting fees and permit nightmares, getting punted back and forth between city departments like a fraying football.
—Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2026
Bridges had nightmares about that coffin.
—Literary Hub, 21 May 2026
But those nightmares seemed remote from the verdant and prosperous cul-de-sac in northern Toronto that led to the door of Temple Emanu-el.
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 21 May 2026
So does the possibility that stylishly rendered nightmares can push audiences toward something larger than passive entertainment.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 19 May 2026
Or that the man still doesn’t have nightmares about Tina the Stoat.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 19 May 2026
Actual wake-up-in-the-middle-of-the-night nightmares.
—Noel Burgess, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026
The nightmares stopped after he was released in March; the government had conceded that he and others had likely been arrested unlawfully.
—Melissa Sanchez, ProPublica, 13 May 2026
Allison Palmer, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 May 2026
For the last few years, he’s been mired in a complex web of mounting fees and permit nightmares, getting punted back and forth between city departments like a fraying football.
—Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2026
Bridges had nightmares about that coffin.
—Literary Hub, 21 May 2026
But those nightmares seemed remote from the verdant and prosperous cul-de-sac in northern Toronto that led to the door of Temple Emanu-el.
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 21 May 2026
So does the possibility that stylishly rendered nightmares can push audiences toward something larger than passive entertainment.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 19 May 2026
Or that the man still doesn’t have nightmares about Tina the Stoat.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 19 May 2026
Actual wake-up-in-the-middle-of-the-night nightmares.
—Noel Burgess, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026
The nightmares stopped after he was released in March; the government had conceded that he and others had likely been arrested unlawfully.
—Melissa Sanchez, ProPublica, 13 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nightmares
Noun
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If Son of Saul was about the horrors of war, Moulin is about the climate of war, and the opening is breathtakingly tense in that respect.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
18 May 2026
-
Yenor’s suggestion that feminism—with its attendant horrors of work outside the home, birth control, and financial independence—has made women neurotic and dependent on pharmaceuticals is now an article of faith on the right.—
Helen Lewis,
The Atlantic,
14 May 2026
Noun
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The agonies of the day were only intermittently audible in the music on offer in Witten.—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
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The celebrated poet and memoirist, delves into the agonies of her decision and describes the emerging women’s liberation movement, of which Moore would soon become a participant.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The bleak tortures Ohm concocts for his characters are as vile as the Bilberry’s fetid jacuzzi.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2026
-
But such judgments often come from a place of distance—from people who have never lived under a theocracy that imprisons, tortures, and kills with impunity.—
Nazanin Boniadi,
Time,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The parallels between Ines’ dilemma and that of a nation being asked to lick its wounds in silence — in the name of moving on from past miseries — are present but elusive.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
14 May 2026
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For those millions of Americans, spring weather brings sniffles, itchy eyes, asthma exacerbation, and other miseries, with effects ranging from mild symptoms to serious medical emergencies.—
Keerti Gopal,
ArsTechnica,
8 May 2026
Noun
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So too did Trump spiritual advisor Paula White-Cain, who compared the president’s torments to those of Jesus.—
Pat Beall,
Sun Sentinel,
17 Apr. 2026
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In the face of such grave concerns, Alyoshka’s torments seem self-indulgent and frustrating, but his problem—whether to leave or stay—is far from insignificant.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
25 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Nightmares.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nightmares. Accessed 26 May. 2026.
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