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
Their evident fondness for one another, glowing warmly alongside all their sniping and whispering and eye-rolling, allows all the nightmares in Big Mistakes to feel like a lark rather than an incipient calamity.
—
Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 10 Apr. 2026
Between the jealousy, paranoia, and a shocking cake-cutting scene that'd give any wedding planner a lifetime of nightmares, The Girlfriend puts a soapy, sexy, scary spin on well-trodden monster-in-law territory.
—Matt Cabral, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Apr. 2026
The couple's life has gone from something out of a postcard to the stuff of nightmares after Lynette Hooker went missing during a nighttime Bahamas boat trip.
—Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 9 Apr. 2026
And still, months into their engagement, Jo was having nightmares—dreams about settling.
—Jenny Singer, Glamour, 8 Apr. 2026
Ashley Strand said her daughter also has nightmares and has seen, at age 14, impacts on her education.
—Amelia Mugavero, CBS News, 7 Apr. 2026
Social surrealists painted the American Dream (a phrase coined in 1931) curdling into nightmares of poverty and slum housing.
—John P. Murphy, ARTnews.com, 5 Apr. 2026
His serious health issues began in 2023 — loss of appetite, shaky hands, chills, severe anxiety, recurring nightmares and small seizures during sleep.
—Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Mar. 2026
Originally performed as part of ‘The Shape of the Night’, a full-length immersive experience exploring the world of dreams and nightmares created by Overlook veteran group All Of Them Witches (AOTW).
—William Earl, Variety, 25 Mar. 2026
Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 10 Apr. 2026
Between the jealousy, paranoia, and a shocking cake-cutting scene that'd give any wedding planner a lifetime of nightmares, The Girlfriend puts a soapy, sexy, scary spin on well-trodden monster-in-law territory.
—Matt Cabral, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Apr. 2026
The couple's life has gone from something out of a postcard to the stuff of nightmares after Lynette Hooker went missing during a nighttime Bahamas boat trip.
—Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 9 Apr. 2026
And still, months into their engagement, Jo was having nightmares—dreams about settling.
—Jenny Singer, Glamour, 8 Apr. 2026
Ashley Strand said her daughter also has nightmares and has seen, at age 14, impacts on her education.
—Amelia Mugavero, CBS News, 7 Apr. 2026
Social surrealists painted the American Dream (a phrase coined in 1931) curdling into nightmares of poverty and slum housing.
—John P. Murphy, ARTnews.com, 5 Apr. 2026
His serious health issues began in 2023 — loss of appetite, shaky hands, chills, severe anxiety, recurring nightmares and small seizures during sleep.
—Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Mar. 2026
Originally performed as part of ‘The Shape of the Night’, a full-length immersive experience exploring the world of dreams and nightmares created by Overlook veteran group All Of Them Witches (AOTW).
—William Earl, Variety, 25 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nightmares
Noun
-
Arthur is living for the likes, his suburban house of horrors happening to bear similarities to the anonymous McMansions preferred by so many influencers.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
10 Apr. 2026
-
The Broadway power couple first met while surviving the horrors of the underworld in Hadestown before traveling to Weimar Republic Germany in Cabaret.—
Carey Purcell,
Vogue,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
And yet, in the scene on the Hill of Love, Lapid offers no self-questioning, no sense of cinematic exertion or trouble, in the fictional framing of the real agonies of Gaza.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
27 Mar. 2026
-
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
-
One of his tortures is forcing his prisoners to watch it on repeat.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Apr. 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
Noun
-
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
-
And allergy miseries don’t end after the spring.—
Tom Gavin,
EverydayHealth.com,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
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
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Nightmares.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nightmares. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.
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