as in gruesome
extremely disturbing or repellent
a photographic exhibit of nightmarish images from the wars of the 20th century
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
At first glance, Codey looks like a nightmarish character from the year 3000.
—
Michelle Del Rey, USA Today, 17 June 2026
In the show, the heroine shares nightmarish tales alongside Herneval, who appears not as a prince but a sentient book.
—Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 15 June 2026
Fast forward a couple of decades, and the duo has joined forces for Find Your Friends, a nightmarish new horror-thriller about a girls' trip gone wrong.
—Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 14 June 2026
Facing a nightmarish opponent, New Yorkers’ first response was to meet the moment with uncharacteristically cheerful jokes.
—Leah Asmelash, CNN Money, 9 June 2026
Kwaidan has a lot to offer besides its nightmarish atmosphere, delving into romantic tragedy, war narratives, and fantasy.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 5 June 2026
Boy Hernandez is prepping for trial, and in the act reflecting on the American dream that has turned nightmarish.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 2 June 2026
Kerkering earned the win, pitching for the first time at Dodger Stadium since the nightmarish end of the 2025 National League Division Series.
—Matt Gelb, New York Times, 31 May 2026
The film was completed before the Challenger disaster, leaving 20th Century Fox with something of a nightmarish choice on their hands—to shelve the film and lose millions, or send it to theaters and risk a PR disaster.
—Eric Berger & Lee Hutchinson, ArsTechnica, 31 May 2026
Michelle Del Rey, USA Today, 17 June 2026
In the show, the heroine shares nightmarish tales alongside Herneval, who appears not as a prince but a sentient book.
—Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 15 June 2026
Fast forward a couple of decades, and the duo has joined forces for Find Your Friends, a nightmarish new horror-thriller about a girls' trip gone wrong.
—Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 14 June 2026
Facing a nightmarish opponent, New Yorkers’ first response was to meet the moment with uncharacteristically cheerful jokes.
—Leah Asmelash, CNN Money, 9 June 2026
Kwaidan has a lot to offer besides its nightmarish atmosphere, delving into romantic tragedy, war narratives, and fantasy.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 5 June 2026
Boy Hernandez is prepping for trial, and in the act reflecting on the American dream that has turned nightmarish.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 2 June 2026
Kerkering earned the win, pitching for the first time at Dodger Stadium since the nightmarish end of the 2025 National League Division Series.
—Matt Gelb, New York Times, 31 May 2026
The film was completed before the Challenger disaster, leaving 20th Century Fox with something of a nightmarish choice on their hands—to shelve the film and lose millions, or send it to theaters and risk a PR disaster.
—Eric Berger & Lee Hutchinson, ArsTechnica, 31 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nightmarish
Adjective
-
The historic victory, the nation’s first ever in the World Cup, was overshadowed when the midfielder injured his leg in gruesome fashion following a clumsy challenge from Qatar’s Assim Madibo.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
19 June 2026
-
Men In Blazers Canada’s first-ever World Cup victory, a 6-0 demolition derby of Qatar, was overshadowed yesterday by a gruesome leg injury suffered by midfield maestro Ismaël Koné.—
Mark Hodge,
NBC news,
19 June 2026
Adjective
-
The six-month delay was vehemently opposed by most plaintiff attorneys, who say their clients have suffered horrific abuse and are in desperate need of cash.—
Rebecca Ellis,
Los Angeles Times,
15 June 2026
-
The Oscar-winning Capote had the dramatic advantage of a protagonist investigating a horrific mass murder.—
Stephen Farber,
HollywoodReporter,
15 June 2026
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
Adjective
-
Deidre Hall delivered her most shocking slap yet on live TV on June 19.—
Lara Walsh,
InStyle,
20 June 2026
-
Ahead of the episode, Raba spoke to the Star-Telegram about his journey playing this character and what’s next for Joaquin after the shocking reveal.—
Brayden Garcia,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
19 June 2026
Adjective
-
Iran’s terrible, horrible, no good, very bad World Cup got a lot better Sunday.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
21 June 2026
-
What started as a horrible mistake ended up bringing the community together.—
Andrea Nakano,
CBS News,
18 June 2026
Adjective
-
This is Conolly’s Folly, built in 1740 at the height of a terrible famine.—
Amelia Soth,
JSTOR Daily,
18 June 2026
-
The heroes who save us from these awful, terrible music haters do so with force.—
David John Chávez,
Mercury News,
18 June 2026
Adjective
-
What began as a quiet evening quickly turned frightening after the couple climbed onto the jetty rocks to look for shells and crabs.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
11 June 2026
-
By the time of The Social Reckoning, a website that was once used to rate the attractiveness of women has gone on to disrupt global politics on a frightening scale.—
Brianna Zigler,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 June 2026
Adjective
-
Canada’s 6-0 thrashing of Qatar in its second FIFA World Cup match would’ve been perfect on Thursday afternoon if not for an injury to Ismaël Koné that can only be described as horrifying.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
19 June 2026
-
That gap between horrifying fact and escapist fantasy is what makes Huston’s film so fascinating now.—
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
19 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Nightmarish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nightmarish. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
