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
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Recent Examples of nightmare
Nora Colomer
May Earn A Commission If You Buy Through Our Referral Links. This Content Was Created By A Team That Works Independently From The Fox Newsroom., FOXNews.com, 12 Sep. 2025
The notion of a man of Ballmer’s wealth — $153 billion; most in professional sports and top 10 on the planet — being able to procure and retain elite talent through surreptitious ways is the worst nightmare for fans of the league’s other 29 teams.
—Sam Amick, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025
Nic Juarez, Vulture, 14 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nightmare
Noun
Bring nightmares to life with this 12-foot Wendigo animatronic.
—Nora Colomer
May Earn A Commission If You Buy Through Our Referral Links. This Content Was Created By A Team That Works Independently From The Fox Newsroom., FOXNews.com, 12 Sep. 2025
The notion of a man of Ballmer’s wealth — $153 billion; most in professional sports and top 10 on the planet — being able to procure and retain elite talent through surreptitious ways is the worst nightmare for fans of the league’s other 29 teams.
—Sam Amick, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
That alone would be nightmare enough, but this debate has been constructed and is moderated by Sam Reich.
—Nic Juarez, Vulture, 14 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nightmare
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nightmare
Noun
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Americans can channel the collective agony and frustration to encourage meaningful change, cooling down the division, making gun laws safer, opening genuinely constructive discussions, informing the public about the risks and calling on lawmakers to take real action.—
Arash Javanbakht,
The Conversation,
15 Sep. 2025
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Other paintings by those presently or formerly incarcerated reflect on the agony of prison itself.—
Ray Mark Rinaldi,
Denver Post,
15 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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There are many moments in the trailer that showcase some horrific imagery, such as Nina screaming and crying, and what appears to be the character also holding a bloody shard of glass.—
James Brizuela,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Sep. 2025
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As users sought information about Kirk’s condition, the bot, Grok, declared to some of them that the horrific footage was satire.—
Matteo Wong,
The Atlantic,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The Industrial Revolution brought widespread misery in the form of brutal factory working conditions.—
P.E. Moskowitz
September 11,
Literary Hub,
11 Sep. 2025
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The era [or error] is close to an end, so do your best to enjoy the final moments, recall all the good times before misery and depression sets in.—
Omar Kelly,
Miami Herald,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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But everything changes when a string of gruesome killings—which grow increasingly bizarre, with victims covered in rashes and found in deranged, violent states—involves his young daughter Hyo-jin (Kim Hwan-hee).—
Travis Bean,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
-
TikTok prohibits gory, gruesome or extremely violent clips.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
13 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The latter being especially notable in one of the later levels, which is infested by body-horror-type monstrosities, as their screams are genuinely unnerving.—
Ollie Barder,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
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Director Tina Romero, the daughter of the father of zombie movies, George Romero, delivers a campy horror-comedy about what happens when an undead outbreak occurs at a drag club party in Brooklyn, as seen in Entertainment Weekly's exclusive trailer reveal.—
Nick Romano,
Entertainment Weekly,
18 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The premiere also came with the shocking announcement of a double elimination next week.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Sep. 2025
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The speed at which Kirk’s death became content was almost as shocking as the assassination itself.—
Marly Berlin,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Iran has executed a man accused of spying for Israel, Iranian state media reported, after the rights group Amnesty International said the man, Babak Shahbazi, had been sentenced to death in an unfair trial marred by allegations of torture.—
Robert Birsel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Sep. 2025
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Those killed under torture, or by starvation, or medical neglect, on the other hand, were transported first to military hospitals where pretexts were invented for the deaths.—
Robin Yassin-Kassab,
Time,
17 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Can a horrible 17-year-old turn into a 31-year-old person with integrity and empathy?—
R. Eric Thomas,
Mercury News,
16 Sep. 2025
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Can a 17-year-old horrible person turn into a 31-year-old person with integrity and empathy?—
R. Eric Thomas,
Denver Post,
16 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nightmare.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nightmare. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
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