nightmarish

adjective

Definition of nightmarishnext
as in gruesome
extremely disturbing or repellent a photographic exhibit of nightmarish images from the wars of the 20th century

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of nightmarish After two nightmarish seasons wrecked by injury, Green Bay Packers running back MarShawn Lloyd is crossing his fingers that the worst is behind him. — Rob Reischel, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026 The king looks nightmarish, his face hidden and turned away from his child, but Nyong’o’s raw agony is more memorable. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 29 July 2026 That’s a nightmarish output compared to the 87 catches, 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns from his rookie season in 2024, especially as the Jaguars’ offense improved across the board around him. — The Athletic Nfl Staff, New York Times, 20 July 2026 Directors Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez keep a tight rein on this surreal, nightmarish classic. — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 7 July 2026 With Boston sealing the sweep on a game-winning single from Jarren Duran, a nightmarish, long weekend at Fenway Park came to a painful end for the Bombers. — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 29 June 2026 On the other end of the spectrum was a nightmarish third inning in which the hosts scored 10 runs. — Kansas City Star, 27 June 2026 What begins as a simple burglary spirals into a nightmarish ordeal after one sister throws out her back and becomes immobilized on the second floor. — Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 25 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nightmarish
  1. gruesome
  2. horrific
  3. nightmare
  4. shocking
  5. horrible
  6. terrible
  7. frightening
  8. horrifying
Adjective
  • During the five-day preliminary hearing, prosecutors displayed gruesome crime scene images of Hernandez’s remains and produced hundreds of text messages between Burke and Hernandez that provided an in-depth look at their relationship.
    — Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 29 July 2026
  • The previous day, multiple gruesome photos of the crime scene were exhibited on screen.
    — Nicole Acosta, PEOPLE, 28 July 2026
Definition of gruesome
Adjective
  • Her family members could be seen getting emotional as the detective described the horrific scene.
    — Alex Stone, ABC News, 21 July 2026
  • The end of this horrific tableau draws a distinct difference between Loustat and Loumand.
    — Sabrina Reed, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
Definition of horrific
Adjective
  • 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
Definition of nightmare
Adjective
  • Randy Orton made a shocking return to WWE SummerSlam 2026, hitting an RKO on Cody Rhodes before CM Punk was able to capitalize with a fifth GTS.
    — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026
  • This may have seemed shocking to those who associated alien life primarily with science fiction invasion scenarios like The War of the Worlds.
    — Danny Robb, JSTOR Daily, 30 July 2026
Definition of shocking
Adjective
  • The Badgers have had horrible injury luck, which has led to bad QB play the past few years.
    — Antonio Morales, New York Times, 27 July 2026
  • Aemond raves about his horrible older brother who spent their youth tormenting him.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 26 July 2026
Definition of horrible
Adjective
  • My scheduler needed no prompting to tell me the system was terrible.
    — Roger Dooley, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
  • During that terrible season, 71% of California Dungeness boats stopped fishing and more than 200 jobs were lost.
    — Susanne Rust Follow, Los Angeles Times, 29 July 2026
Definition of terrible
Adjective
  • His solution was to ride at a frightening pace from the outset of stages, hoping to shed his rival from his back wheel — an approach that rewarded him with king of the mountains points throughout the Tour’s final week.
    — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 26 July 2026
  • The most frightening scenario to many officials on both sides of the border is that the United States might use Rocha’s case as a pretext to strike Mexico.
    — Kevin Sieff, The Atlantic, 24 July 2026
Definition of frightening
Adjective
  • The most famous is that of a shapely woman wearing a red bikini, a chilling reminder of a horrifying story of a young woman captured by inmates.
    — Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 24 July 2026
  • Investigators allegedly found 100,000 text messages between Burns and McNeese that painted a horrifying picture of what the boy endured.
    — Samira Asma-Sadeque, PEOPLE, 13 July 2026
Definition of horrifying

Browse Nearby Words

nightmares
nightmarish
night owl
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Cite this Entry

“Nightmarish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nightmarish. Accessed 4 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on nightmarish

Nglish: Translation of nightmarish for Spanish Speakers

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