as in agony
a situation or state that causes great suffering and unhappiness
that 20-page exam was a nightmare
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in horrific
extremely disturbing or repellent
survivors of a nuclear holocaust would surely face a nightmare existence
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of nightmare
Jonathan Limehouse, USA TODAY, 13 Dec. 2024
The Rams have had an impressive season playing above expectations, while the 49ers have had a nightmare season thanks to injuries and the inability to protect a lead.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 12 Dec. 2024
Patel will soon continue his genre streak with Rabbit Trap, an isolated aural nightmare from director Bryn Chainey and producer Elijah Wood.
—Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 12 Dec. 2024
Nick, who’s been stuck living the single life after his trial partner left the show early, decides to get a tattoo on his forearm to commemorate this emotional nightmare experience.
—Laura Bradley, Vulture, 11 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for nightmare 
Noun
Today’s sentence helps ensure that Shouse’s fantasies won’t become another child’s nightmare for decades to come.
—Jonathan Limehouse, USA TODAY, 13 Dec. 2024
The Rams have had an impressive season playing above expectations, while the 49ers have had a nightmare season thanks to injuries and the inability to protect a lead.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 12 Dec. 2024
Patel will soon continue his genre streak with Rabbit Trap, an isolated aural nightmare from director Bryn Chainey and producer Elijah Wood.
—Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 12 Dec. 2024
Nick, who’s been stuck living the single life after his trial partner left the show early, decides to get a tattoo on his forearm to commemorate this emotional nightmare experience.
—Laura Bradley, Vulture, 11 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for nightmare
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nightmare
Noun
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Having at last regained hope from the fall of the House of Assad, the Syrian people expect no less from the countries that have for so many years allowed the country’s agony to continue at their expense.Natasha Hall, Foreign Affairs, 9 Dec. 2024
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Santa Cruz’s tiny agonies manage a delicate balance between stately, shimmering guitar lines and plaintive synthesizer accompaniment while Bazan sings with a gusto that bests his finest performances.Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 3 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Former detainees at the horrific Saydnaya prison near Damascus said Amer had disappeared in mid-April 2015 after being tortured there.Raja Razek, CNN, 16 Dec. 2024
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Eric Gordon was also supposed to provide some secondary ball-handling off the bench in theory, but the soon-to-be 36-year-old is off to a horrific start this season.Bryan Toporek, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024
Noun
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While there are notable and beautiful bright spots to All or Nothing (most of which go to infallible Leigh regular Ruth Sheen), the film really doubles down on the ambient misery of these people’s lives.Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 9 Dec. 2024
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Adults explain little to her—the possibility of death lies beyond her field of vision—which gives the vivid misery of her treatment a fairy-tale quality.Molly Fischer, The New Yorker, 4 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Prehistoric Rock Art Sites Created 'Multisensory Experience' For Hunter-Gatherers By Aristos Georgiou Science and Health Reporter 0 A collection of prehistoric human remains has revealed gruesome insights into a brutal massacre that took place more than 4,000 years ago.Raja Krishnamoorthi, Newsweek, 16 Dec. 2024
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Police think the gruesome gunshot death is suicide.Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, 16 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Several fans of the original felt the satirical horror film should not be remade at all.Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 12 Dec. 2024
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That definitely still draws certain Academy members toward watching the film, but even the tamest of horror films have historically been shut out of any Oscar nominations.Marcus Jones, IndieWire, 12 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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This outcome was always a possibility for the Red Sox, but what is truly shocking is the lack of urgency and effort from the Boston front office.Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2024
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Amid his season of highs, Scheffler was also at the center of the most shocking day in golf major championship history when he was arrested and booked in a Louisville, Ky. jail over a traffic miscommunication at the PGA Championship.Jenna West, The Athletic, 11 Dec. 2024
Noun
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These were Arabic names for torture techniques repeated to me by Syrians who had been jailed during the regime crackdown on the anti-government uprising that erupted across the country in 2011.Ivan Watson, CNN, 12 Dec. 2024
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Many have signs of being shot, including entry and exit wounds, while others have signs of torture, including bruises, wounds and scars.James Longman, ABC News, 12 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Although there is high demand among students for internships and other work opportunities, our education-employer ecosystem is doing a horrible job delivering them.Brandon Busteed, Forbes, 14 Dec. 2024
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Everyone is forgetting conveniently about October 7, but that was a horrible day for the world, not for Israel, for the world.TIME Staff, TIME, 12 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near nightmare
Cite this Entry
“Nightmare.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nightmare. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
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