as in agony
a situation or state that causes great suffering and unhappiness
that 20-page exam was a nightmare
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in horrific
extremely disturbing or repellent
survivors of a nuclear holocaust would surely face a nightmare existence
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples 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 nightmare
Iliana Limón Romero, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2024
Stylistically, Hernandez could be a nightmare for the dynamic Russian striker.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2024
This was going to be a nightmare for a 6-hour flight.
—Margaux Anbouba, Vogue, 29 Oct. 2024
The dusty Ohtani trudged to the dugout as if marching through a nightmare.
—Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for nightmare 
Noun
Riley has held tightly to his instincts in the face of criticism throughout USC’s nightmare season, defiant to suggestions the Trojans weren’t heading in the right direction, even as one close loss turned to another, and another, and another.
—Iliana Limón Romero, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2024
Stylistically, Hernandez could be a nightmare for the dynamic Russian striker.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2024
This was going to be a nightmare for a 6-hour flight.
—Margaux Anbouba, Vogue, 29 Oct. 2024
The dusty Ohtani trudged to the dugout as if marching through a nightmare.
—Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for nightmare
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nightmare
Noun
-
Compared to the agony and the ecstasy on display in McQueen’s extraordinary Small Axe compilation, which celebrated the United Kingdom’s diaspora culture while forcing the country to reckon with its institutionally racist past, this might seem like weak tea.David Fear, Rolling Stone, 1 Nov. 2024
-
The movie One of the darkest true stories on this list, An American Crime never undersells or soft-pedals the ceaseless agony of Likens’ ordeal.Declan Gallagher and Chris Bellamy, EW.com, 31 Oct. 2024
Adjective
-
Goldberg's words come over a year after The View began an unrelenting battle with gaseous entities, following a horrific water spillage (and mysterious fart noise of unknown origin) that plagued the Hot Topics table in January 2023.EW.com, EW.com, 5 Nov. 2024
-
Travis and Jason are clearly very close with one another, and the fan that hurled such a horrific thing led to Jason reacting in a very angry manner.James Brizuela, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024
Noun
-
The Democratic Party should be put out of its misery.Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 12 Nov. 2024
-
While a fair number of New Yorkers may be at home alone tonight, watching prestige-TV reruns and trying to enter a fugue state, plenty of us plan to lean into the misery (or joy) of watching the election results in numbers.Curbed Staff, Curbed, 6 Nov. 2024
Adjective
-
One popular, gruesome theory has it that a truck ran her over and then sped away, but what happened for sure, no one can tell.Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 4 Nov. 2024
-
Before his gruesome leg injury, the 24-year-old pass-rusher was on pace to secure an NFL Defensive Player of the Year trophy.Jesse Reed, Forbes, 3 Nov. 2024
Noun
-
Next month, her upcoming film The Man in the White Van transitions her into the darker horror genre and out of the spooky childhood stardom.Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 12 Nov. 2024
-
That same feature improves immersion in horror games and online gaming.Gieson Cacho, The Mercury News, 11 Nov. 2024
Adjective
-
The couple’s happy news comes months after more shocking relationship reports.Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 12 Nov. 2024
-
During the Halloween Nightmares episode last week, there was a shocking elimination after a fan-favorite couple went home despite winning their dance-off and receiving a high score.Dina Kaur, The Arizona Republic, 6 Nov. 2024
Noun
-
For some women, anything that comes after such a torture would pale in comparison.Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 7 Nov. 2024
-
The trials swept to North America as well – where, most famously, 19 were executed in Salem, Massachusetts, with more dying under torture and investigation.Julia Buckley, CNN, 31 Oct. 2024
Adjective
-
Give Back To Maui After the horrible 2023 wildfires in Maui, The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua reopened on October 8, 2023, and it’s been going strong and welcoming guests with open arms since then.Robin Raven, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024
-
This is also a great matchup against a horrible Jaguars passing defense.David Faris, Newsweek, 3 Nov. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near nightmare
Cite this Entry
“Nightmare.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nightmare. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share