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 Rodgers bounced back from a nightmarish performance in a dismal loss to New England by throwing for 292 yards and three touchdowns to outduel Joe Burrow as the Steelers pulled out a 30-27 thriller. — ABC News, 27 Sep. 2026 So far, the sequel is off to a nightmarish start, and neither Ballard nor Steichen should feel safe after being at the helm of such an embarrassing showing. — James Boyd, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026 As Pattinson spends a long night trying to rescue his brother, the Safdies weave a nightmarish, impressionistic vision of New York that ranks among the most unsettling cinematic depictions of the city. — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Sep. 2026 Maddie and Avery moved back from New York to help out as their mother tried to keep Little Flower going while dealing with dislocation and a nightmarish battle with her insurance company. — Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026 There's little parking at the Coliseum, meaning fans are forced into a nightmarish hellscape of distant structures, and the security lines are infamously awful at an old stadium. — Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 1 Sep. 2026 The idea sounded at once mystical, therapeutic, and nightmarish. — Sebastian Smee, The Atlantic, 28 Aug. 2026 Which makes sense given that, nightmarish dystopian scenario or not, Scott’s movie isn’t science fiction. — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 28 Aug. 2026 What nightmarish scenarios would these two characters be facing? — Merrill Markoe, Deadline, 21 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nightmarish
  1. gruesome
  2. horrific
  3. nightmare
  4. shocking
  5. horrible
  6. terrible
  7. frightening
  8. horrifying
Adjective
  • The gruesome 2023 murder of Choi, who rubbed shoulders with showbiz elites at fashion events and had a significant following online, sent shockwaves through the wealthy financial hub and made global headlines.
    — Chris Lau, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2026
  • High-scoring winger Kevin Fiala, meanwhile, will miss the first couple of months, at least, after experiencing a setback in his return from a gruesome leg injury sustained at the Milan-Cortina Olympics.
    — Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of gruesome
Adjective
  • He will be punished, defense says Facing the jury, Brenner said they will be exposed to horrific photographs that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.
    — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 29 Sep. 2026
  • In truly horrific news, a Frankfort mom is accused of killing her 2-year-old son after allegedly following the trial of Lindsay Clancy with great interest.
    — Hilary Gowins, Chicago Tribune, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of horrific
Adjective
  • This is the nightmare scenario behind the Kessler syndrome, a cascading chain of collisions that could render entire orbital pathways unusable.
    — Alan Bradley, Space.com, 2 Aug. 2026
  • 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
Definition of nightmare
Adjective
  • The officers shared the shocking recording Wednesday in hopes of identifying the driver, whose license plate cannot be discerned in the clip.
    — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026
  • With a little bit of separation from the shocking and utterly devastating news of Dolly the late singer’s death, a clearer view of what actually happened to Parton is starting to emerge.
    — Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of shocking
Adjective
  • Hill is a free agent after a horrible injury suffered last season.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Ashley Flynn’s sister, Kayla Keyt, said during her victim statement that her family could not overcome their sense of shock and despair after learning that Flynn betrayed them in such a violent and horrible way.
    — Alicia Victoria Lozano, NBC news, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of horrible
Adjective
  • Platforms prefill a name, email and phone number so a user can submit in one tap without leaving the feed, which is wonderful for a consumer promotion and terrible for a six-figure investment.
    — Jonathan Durante, Forbes.com, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Saddled with terrible reviews and negative word-of-mouth, Tom Cruise‘s absurdist dark comedy has cratered at the box office with $8 million in North America and $20 million globally in its first weekend of release.
    — Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of terrible
Adjective
  • Josh, much of the social media conversation around people seeing The Odyssey in theaters was about the frightening Other Mommy trailer playing ahead of it.
    — Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 2 Oct. 2026
  • My Broken Brain follows three young survivors through the most frightening days of their lives and the grueling journey back to independence.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of frightening
Adjective
  • Continue reading … PICKLED PANIC — Woman's horrifying discovery inside jar of chili peppers prompts recall.
    — , FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The most horrifying part of this whole episode isn’t Faye’s corpse, though.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of horrifying

Browse Nearby Words

nightmares
nightmarish
night owl
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Nightmarish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nightmarish. Accessed 6 Oct. 2026.

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