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
Past employees have said that working under Levin is nightmarish; one former colleague of Levin’s filed a gender discrimination complaint against the organization in 2020.
—
Paula Mejía, New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2026
Created by John Griffin (Crater) From unravels the mystery of a nightmarish town that traps all those who enter.
—Denise Petski, Deadline, 15 Apr. 2026
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
Initially unsure of one another, Agnes and Daisy must nevertheless weather the common tribulations of girlhood together, which take on nightmarish new valences inside Gilead.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 8 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
Paula Mejía, New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2026
Created by John Griffin (Crater) From unravels the mystery of a nightmarish town that traps all those who enter.
—Denise Petski, Deadline, 15 Apr. 2026
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
Initially unsure of one another, Agnes and Daisy must nevertheless weather the common tribulations of girlhood together, which take on nightmarish new valences inside Gilead.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 8 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nightmarish
Adjective
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What follows is a crescendo of bloody madness, including a gruesome toenail cutting scene that shouldn’t be viewed while eating, a grandma being eaten alive by a pack of coyotes and a truly bonkers wake that erupts into laugh-out-loud violence thanks to a pair of dentures.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
17 Apr. 2026
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Since then, The Pitt has blown up in an unlikely way for any cultural object in the 2020s, much less a gruesome medical drama.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
17 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The charges revealed key details and were among the first concrete public moves made in a grisly and horrific case that had been under a largely secret investigation in the seven months since the body of Celeste Rivas Hernandez was found.—
Andrew Dalton,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Apr. 2026
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On Thursday, another horrific crime rattled the city —15-year-old Jaden Pierre was beaten and fatally shot at point-blank range in a Queens playground.—
Rebecca White,
New York Daily News,
19 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
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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
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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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On that horrible day, Dad was outside his vehicle supervising a ditch cleaning operation when a driver ignored traffic control devices, drove through a closed lane, and struck him, pinning him between two vehicles.—
Allysson Bornt,
New York Daily News,
19 Apr. 2026
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And every family has that annoying uncle that makes horrible jokes or one situation after another.—
Lexi Lane,
PEOPLE,
18 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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If anything, great public pressure being brought to bear is a terrible reason to dispense with due-process protections designed to protect the legal rights of individuals, and crafting one exception would seem to create a precedent for crafting others.—
Jon Allsop,
New Yorker,
24 Apr. 2026
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Some members of Congress, along with airline CEOs and analysts, say the bailout would be a terrible idea.—
Donald Judd,
CNN Money,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Beats that might once have been framed through a hazy, absurdist lens now play as something much more fatalistic and frightening.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
20 Apr. 2026
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Forget about sonic or other frightening devices.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
19 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Showvay was interviewed in the doc and reflected on everything from her first date with Schipper to the shock of finding out the horrifying things her husband had done.—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
14 Apr. 2026
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The film is set in the idyllic summer town of Bayleen Bay, which descends into madness when an ice cream man serves kids from his truck with horrifying results.—
Arushi Jacob,
Variety,
13 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Nightmarish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nightmarish. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
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