as in gruesome
extremely disturbing or repellent
a photographic exhibit of nightmarish images from the wars of the 20th century
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Recent Examples of nightmarish
Leaders and others in these communities have often spoken out against violence as a solution, while warning that pondering existential and nightmarish scenarios can overwhelm and destabilize vulnerable people.
—
St. John Barned-Smith, San Francisco Chronicle, 12 Apr. 2026
Sprawling, fearsome scenes of battle unfurl with a nightmarish, exhaustively detailed authenticity.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Apr. 2026
But somewhere along the way, mostly in recent years, the lamb cake took a weird turn as people began posting photos of their scary, creepy, nightmarish lamb cake fails.
—Lisa Gutierrez
april 3, Kansas City Star, 3 Apr. 2026
The relationship between legendary comedienne Deborah Vance and millennial writer Ava Daniels has gone through ups, downs, fantastic successes, and nightmarish lawsuits.
—K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 3 Apr. 2026
The main characters take a fictional drug without food, and that mistake puts them through a half-dozen nightmarish phases.
—Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 3 Apr. 2026
Kyle Backhus had a nightmarish Opening Day, then walked the leadoff batter Sunday in what was a scoreless inning.
—Matt Gelb, New York Times, 30 Mar. 2026
Then last season’s nightmarish problems closing games carried over into 2026.
—Jim Barnes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Mar. 2026
The nightmarish sequence spoiled a night that began with the Angels showing more promising signs at the plate.
—Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 29 Mar. 2026
St. John Barned-Smith, San Francisco Chronicle, 12 Apr. 2026
Sprawling, fearsome scenes of battle unfurl with a nightmarish, exhaustively detailed authenticity.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Apr. 2026
But somewhere along the way, mostly in recent years, the lamb cake took a weird turn as people began posting photos of their scary, creepy, nightmarish lamb cake fails.
—Lisa Gutierrez
april 3, Kansas City Star, 3 Apr. 2026
The relationship between legendary comedienne Deborah Vance and millennial writer Ava Daniels has gone through ups, downs, fantastic successes, and nightmarish lawsuits.
—K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 3 Apr. 2026
The main characters take a fictional drug without food, and that mistake puts them through a half-dozen nightmarish phases.
—Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 3 Apr. 2026
Kyle Backhus had a nightmarish Opening Day, then walked the leadoff batter Sunday in what was a scoreless inning.
—Matt Gelb, New York Times, 30 Mar. 2026
Then last season’s nightmarish problems closing games carried over into 2026.
—Jim Barnes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Mar. 2026
The nightmarish sequence spoiled a night that began with the Angels showing more promising signs at the plate.
—Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 29 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nightmarish
Adjective
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Dahl’s books are fanciful and imaginative, but also dark, cynical, and mean (and, unfortunately, often reflected his real-life ugliness), spinning stories in which gruesome and unpleasant fates befell rotten kids, and adults were frequently selfish, cruel, and not to be trusted.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
10 Apr. 2026
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The evidence at trial included a gruesome video showing Stanfier’s body in the trunk of a car, which had been shared with a woman Jordan-Brooks reportedly met while working at Kentucky Fried Chicken in Emeryville years earlier, court records show.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The horrific Los Angeles wildfires caused over $75 billion in insured losses and claimed the lives of 31 Californians.—
Scott Wiener,
Oc Register,
12 Apr. 2026
-
The horrific discovery spurred a wider search on Long Island over the following year – nearly a dozen bodies were found in all – and raised fears of a serial killer on the loose.—
Eric Levenson,
CNN Money,
11 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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But the 22-year-old is not alone in having a nightmare individual performance on a high-profile sporting stage.—
Eduardo Tansley,
New York Times,
12 Mar. 2026
-
This is the nightmare scenario for California Democrats.—
Tom Charron,
Mercury News,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Zendaya and Robert Pattinson star in Kristoffer Borgli’s rug-pull rom-com, which follows a soon-to-be-married couple whose relationship implodes after a shocking revelation.—
Jack Dunn,
Variety,
11 Apr. 2026
-
The series abruptly concluded with Lois' shocking pregnancy news and Malcolm just starting his freshman year at Harvard.—
Samantha Stutsman,
PEOPLE,
10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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In the case of this April 1, Atlanta just experienced a horrible and tragic Wednesday in traffic.—
Doug Turnbull,
AJC.com,
12 Apr. 2026
-
Your cabdriver is taking you on a horrible route.—
Zach Schiffman,
Curbed,
10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Not terrible, but far from correct.—
Jenn Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Matt wasn't so sure, pointing to his record of selling drugs and trafficking weapons, but Foggy argued in favor of giving even someone who has done terrible things a second chance.—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
15 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Adding a deadly shooter to spread the floor around Collier could make a dangerous 3-point shooting scheme even more frightening for Lynx opponents.—
Matthew Coller,
Twin Cities,
12 Apr. 2026
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Flynn can’t help but wonder if there is a frightening connection between the family’s disappearance and PDQ’s vengeance.—
Sandra Dallas,
Denver Post,
12 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Hate ’em ’cause they Tatum Jayson Tatum’s jumper is returning, a horrifying development for the other Eastern Conference contenders.—
Fred Katz,
New York Times,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Rue’s adventures as a drug mule are both horrifying and blisteringly funny, walking a tightrope that Levinson has always navigated expertly.—
Radhika Seth,
Vogue,
9 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Nightmarish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nightmarish. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.
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