a terrifying dream in which the dreamer experiences feelings of helplessness, extreme anxiety, sorrow, etc.
a condition, thought, or experience suggestive of a nightmare: the nightmare of his years in prison.
(formerly) a monster or evil spirit believed to oppress persons during sleep.
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WATCH NOW: The Scary History Behind The Word "Nightmare"
It's dark. You're alone. Was that a footstep? Did something just brush up against you? You fight to get up, but you're stuck ... right on top of you is a horrifying nightmare.Sorry, did you say a nightmare was on top of me?
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Origin of nightmare
Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; see origin at night, mare2
SYNONYMS FOR nightmare
1 phantasmagoria.
SEE SYNONYMS FOR nightmare ON THESAURUS.COM
synonym study for nightmare
1. See dream.
Words nearby nightmare
nightlife, night-light, night lizard, nightlong, nightly, nightmare, nightmarish, night monkey, night-night, night nurse, night office
This is a nightmare for the thief, because they have to decide how much time and risk they want to devote to the job.
The most secure ways to lock up your bike|By Michael Frank/Cycle Volta|August 26, 2020|Popular Science
Burleson is widely credited with establishing the “zone system” to determine mail costs, while DeJoy has been praised for his logistics-oriented approach by those who see the postal service as a money-losing bureaucratic nightmare.
Trump Isn’t the First President to Use His Postmaster for Politics|Fiona Zublin|August 21, 2020|Ozy
We gave them a bunch of different scenarios and asked them to weight which were most likely to bring about their nightmares.
What Economists Fear Will Happen Without More Unemployment Aid|Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux|August 11, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
The league denied Delle Donne a high-risk exemption, despite her Lyme disease, which triggered a PR nightmare for the WNBA, but the Mystics said this week she will still be paid her full salary.
How Much Talent Is The WNBA Missing This Season?|Howard Megdal|July 17, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
The latest indication came from county supervisor candidate Nora Vargas, who posted on Facebook Thursday a nightmare story of her attempts to get tested for the virus due to exposure she experienced in the course of her campaign.
Morning Report: How We Got Here With Smart Streetlights|Voice of San Diego|July 10, 2020|Voice of San Diego
You know, I feel the same way about that that I do about The Nightmare Before Christmas.
Tim Burton Talks ‘Big Eyes,’ His Taste For the Macabre, and the ‘Beetlejuice’ Sequel|Marlow Stern|December 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
His lone stable was a girl from Newport News, Virginia, who had already escaped one nightmare.
The Navy ‘Hero’ Who Pimped an HIV-Positive Teen|M.L. Nestel|December 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“We challenge Mr. Cosby to end this nightmare,” proclaimed Gloria Allred.
Two New Bill Cosby Accusers Come Forward: ‘We Challenge Mr. Cosby to End This Nightmare’|Marlow Stern|December 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Being buried alive is a nightmare that ranks alongside masked chainsaw-wielding madmen and enormous tarantulas.
What It’s Like to Wake Up Dead|Dr. Anand Veeravagu, MD, Tej Azad|November 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If Bush-Portman is the Republican nightmare ticket for Democrats, however, they may be spared.
Hillary Adviser: Bush-Portman Ticket Could Doom Dems in 2016|David Freedlander|November 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A nightmare is not always a sense of oppression on the chest only; it may be an overpowering dread of something you dream you see.
Cecilia de Nol|Lanoe Falconer
The memory of an illness is very much like the memory of a nightmare.
Notes on My Books|Joseph Conrad
Her nightmare was the thought of her father's horror and grief.
Saint's Progress|John Galsworthy
Clara had a nightmare, and came near choking to death on Mr. Brewer's plaster—the locket, you know.
Seeing France with Uncle John|Anne Warner
All this is, of course, the origin of the common superstition of the nightmare.
Demonology and Devil-lore|Moncure Daniel Conway
British Dictionary definitions for nightmare
nightmare
/ (ˈnaɪtˌmɛə) /
noun
a terrifying or deeply distressing dream
an event or condition resembling a terrifying dreamthe nightmare of shipwreck
(as modifier)a nightmare drive
a thing that is feared
(formerly) an evil spirit supposed to harass or suffocate sleeping people
C13 (meaning: incubus; C16: bad dream): from night + Old English mare, mære evil spirit, from Germanic; compare Old Norse mara incubus, Polish zmora, French cauchemar nightmare
The Scary History Behind The Word “Nightmare”It's dark. You're alone. Was that a footstep? Did something just brush up against you? You fight to get up, but you're stuck ... right on top of you is a horrifying nightmare. Sorry, did you say a nightmare was on top of me?
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The Suffocating History Behind The Word “Nightmare”It's dark. You're alone. Was that a footstep? Did something just brush up against you? You fight to get up, but you're stuck ... right on top of you is a horrifying nightmare. Sorry, did you say a nightmare was on top of me?