NIGHTMARE Synonyms: 116 Similar and Opposite Words

nightmare 1 of 2

noun

ˈnīt-ˌmer

Definition of nightmare

as in agony

a situation or state that causes great suffering and unhappiness that 20-page exam was a nightmare

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

nightmare

2 of 2

adjective

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

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 nightmare

Noun

But thanks to tracking tech like Apple AirTags, logistics don’t have to be a nightmare any longer. — Kelsey Fogarty, PC Magazine, 18 Aug. 2026 Then, there’s the bureaucratic nightmare of trying to secure tax credits in Los Angeles. — Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 18 Aug. 2026

Adjective

This is the nightmare scenario behind the Kessler syndrome, a cascading chain of collisions that could render entire orbital pathways unusable. — Alan Bradley, Space.com, 2 Aug. 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for nightmare

Recent Examples of Synonyms for nightmare

Noun

Such is the ecstasy, the agony, of judgment, which was never for their benefit.

— Lauren Michele Jackson, New Yorker, 8 Aug. 2026
The man with almost no injury was writhing in agony, while the man with a four-inch nail lodged near his brain kept working for six days, not even realizing the nail was there.

— Kevin Kruse, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026

Definition of agony

Adjective

Russia is slowly edging towards its territorial goal of taking the Donbas – albeit through rendering the remaining ground held by Ukraine uninhabitable through horrific drone strikes on all signs of civilian and military life.

— Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026
Built in 1928 by Gordon Kaufmann, and a gift from Edward Doheny to his son Ned and his family, the stately Tudor Revival was home to a horrific tragedy.

— Amanda Karkoutly, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of horrific

Noun

Elci said the uncertainty — and being taken off the air for even a day — was misery.

— Mark Pazniokas, Hartford Courant, 18 Aug. 2026
Another finds his misery exacerbated by a Christmas spent shooting a war movie opposite its star Brad Pitt’s stand-in, in a rare evocation of how impersonal blockbuster filmmaking has become.

— Judy Berman, Time, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of misery

Adjective

Fatima Hayward of Blue Finch Films called Zevenbergen a genuine new voice in genre filmmaking, saying his blend of body horror and campy Nickelodeon-style nostalgia has resulted in a gruesome yet heartfelt ode to cinema.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 19 Aug. 2026
The ensuing encounter, probably the most gruesome cinematic dental scene since Marathon Man, will scare you into scheduling a deep cleaning post-haste.

— Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of gruesome

Noun

The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures fall programming celebrates several anniversary milestones along with a focus on horror.

— Tanya Fedak, Variety, 19 Aug. 2026
The Boulet Brothers descend on New York Comic Con to celebrate a decade of horror, filth, and glamour, and open the crypt on the show’s upcoming seventh season.

— Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of horror

Adjective

Lindsay Hubbard, one of the stars of Bravo’s Summer House, was doing an on-camera interview for a different reality show when shocking news broke that two of her Summer House castmates had gotten together.

— The Deadline Team, Deadline, 15 Aug. 2026
Wells, 39, laid his gloves down in the Octagon after the shocking victory.

— Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of shocking

Adjective

Whatever cloud of innocence has hung over Jo’s life until this point is shattered, both parents struggling how to navigate the horrible experience from an emotional as well as a purely bureaucratic perspective.

— Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 11 Aug. 2026
After years of seeing enough photos of fabulous wealth and horrible tragedy, these types of images cease to shock us.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of horrible

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nightly

nightmare

nightmares

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“Nightmare.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nightmare. Accessed 20 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of nightmare

noun

adjective

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