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 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 Minnesota’s Drake Lindsey has first-round potential; LaNorris Sellers had a nightmarish season in which the Gamecocks’ line surrendered 43 sacks but is one of the game’s most exciting players. — Scott Dochterman, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026 What nightmarish scenarios would these two characters be facing? — Merrill Markoe, Deadline, 21 Aug. 2026 But the nightmarish realms of the Further retain their unnerving power, and some of the old-school ghost movie thrills are well done. — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 21 Aug. 2026 Production should improve from Lagway’s nightmarish SEC-leading 14 interceptions. — Noah White, Miami Herald, 18 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
  • No iPhone footage of the attack to replay in gruesome slow motion.
    — Jeff Weiss, HollywoodReporter, 1 Sep. 2026
  • The inevitable father-son reunion is a result of gruesome circumstances.
    — Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of gruesome
Adjective
  • The chilling new detail about Jesus Acosta’s horrific spree was revealed at the 31-year-old ex-con’s arraignment in Bronx Criminal Court late Sunday, where he was ordered held without bail for the two cold-blooded shootings.
    — John Annese, New York Daily News, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Then there is the horrific crash on the McHenry County side of the Fox River, where on July 25 Alan Telmini and Magdalena Jablonska, both from Des Plaines, were cruising the river south of the McHenry Dam.
    — Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 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
  • That whole sequence with Troy and Susan at the start of this episode is just … shocking.
    — Noel Murray, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Other films have handled the shocking deaths of romantic leads with more grace — Anne Hathaway riding her bike in front of a certain semi-truck in 2011 comes to mind — even while doing objectively less to ensure that they’re understood.
    — Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of shocking
Adjective
  • Turkish football is a chaotic, infuriating, sometimes horrible but always entertaining place.
    — Nick Miller, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • The defense says their client had no control over her fatal actions despite the clear planning of the horrible event.
    — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of horrible
Adjective
  • Whether the outcome will be terrible or beautiful is unclear.
    — Robert Rubsam, New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Feral pigeons are famously terrible nest builders and are drawn to buildings and roofs with features like solar panels, chimneys, eaves, and AC units to make their homes.
    — Molly Burford, Southern Living, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of terrible
Adjective
  • Poty remembers his most frightening confrontation, from a couple of years ago.
    — Marina Dias, Washington Post, 2 Sep. 2026
  • As its frightening trailers have shown, Hwang Jung-min, Zo In-sung and Hoyeon play villagers facing off with a mysterious and violent creature.
    — Jack Smart, PEOPLE, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of frightening
Adjective
  • Finding a place where the familiar and the horrifying meet has always been a sweet spot for Kelly.
    — Alison Willmore, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
  • IndieWire exclusively releases the video, which sees the two directors discussing everything from post-production workflows to the horrifying experience of being a young person in a world that often feels brutally unstable.
    — Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 28 Aug. 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 8 Sep. 2026.

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