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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of nightmare
Ian Millhiser, Vox, 15 Apr. 2025
The fungus that hijacks ants like a ghastly marionette
Penn State
The humble carpenter ant is the unsuspecting victim of this nightmare.
—New Atlas, 12 Apr. 2025
This is shaping up to be a nightmare of a weekend for the Boston Red Sox.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 12 Apr. 2025
After blowing a 17-point lead in Saturday’s home loss to the Chicago Bulls, the Heat ran into the same nightmare on Monday.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 11 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nightmare
Noun
Even this relatively narrow rule would be a logistical nightmare for public schools, for the simple reason that teachers cannot possibly anticipate everything that will happen in their classrooms and advise parents of it in advance.
—Ian Millhiser, Vox, 15 Apr. 2025
The fungus that hijacks ants like a ghastly marionette
Penn State
The humble carpenter ant is the unsuspecting victim of this nightmare.
—New Atlas, 12 Apr. 2025
This is shaping up to be a nightmare of a weekend for the Boston Red Sox.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 12 Apr. 2025
After blowing a 17-point lead in Saturday’s home loss to the Chicago Bulls, the Heat ran into the same nightmare on Monday.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 11 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nightmare
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nightmare
Noun
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His experiences at Fuchu Prison left him with frostbite, screaming in agony, after being exposed to sub-zero temperatures during 20 days in solitary confinement.—
Daniel Taylor,
New York Times,
12 Apr. 2025
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What began as a blissful afternoon in the Florida sun ended in agony when a Jeep Wrangler suddenly barreled over a man lying on the beach, police said.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
9 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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These types of horrific events by terrorists are why those of us who work for peace and stability in the world continue our mission.—
Danielle Wallace,
FOXNews.com,
22 Apr. 2025
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Of course, some eight hundred thousand did die—many in horrific ways—while the formerly enslaved were left to fend for themselves in a postwar state where apartheid was enforced by terror.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
21 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Life was good, especially after the last three seasons of misery, when games at this time of year were meaningless aside from their impact on the draft lottery.—
Arpon Basu,
New York Times,
12 Apr. 2025
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For civilians, the unrelenting misery of the last 18 months has just got a lot worse – especially as no aid has entered Gaza for six weeks.—
Tim Lister and Oren Liebermann,
CNN Money,
12 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Surely Yellowstone, with its large predators and geothermal activity will deliver something gruesome.—
Wes Siler,
Outside Online,
19 Apr. 2025
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The gruesome spectacle that follows earns raucous cheers and applause from the slack-jawed onlookers.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
18 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Coogler transforms the faux-Faustian blues legend into an allegory of historical horror.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
17 Apr. 2025
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Free League Publishing put out an official Alien Role Playing Game in December of 2019 as part of a fresh batch of space horror games.—
Rob Wieland,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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But even with Edwards’ shocking loss, this outpouring of grief and tributes — the decals, the touching video montages on national TV, the mentions in interviews — had to catch many NASCAR fans off guard.—
Jeff Gluck,
New York Times,
14 Apr. 2025
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That’s a bit shocking for the current winner of the Best New Artist Grammy.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Orlov said Ukrainian POWs and civilians are known to be held in harsh conditions, where allegations of abuse and torture are common.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
7 Apr. 2025
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The principle of universal jurisdiction allows for the prosecution of crimes such as genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and torture committed on foreign territory by persons who are not nationals of the jurisdiction in question.—
Dr. Ewelina U. Ochab,
Forbes.com,
6 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Wade has been in a horrible slump since the season started and going in to Saturday night’s game against the Los Angeles Angels is hitting .096 (5-for-52) with a homer, seven RBIs, eight walks and an on base percentage of .213.—
Jerry McDonald,
Mercury News,
19 Apr. 2025
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The Braves desperately need to add a shortstop and some offensive help amid their horrible start to the season.—
Nicholas Creel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nightmare.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nightmare. Accessed 25 Apr. 2025.
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