NIGHTMARES Synonyms: 35 Similar and Opposite Words

nightmares

noun

plural of nightmare

as in horrors

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 nightmares When her aunt Helena and paralyzed grandmother Regina arrive, the fragile boundaries between everyday life, ancestral superstition and Trina’s increasingly disturbing nightmares begin to collapse. — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026 Fortuna noted rapid surveys also found that children with at least one immigrant parent are more likely to experience nightmares and higher levels of sadness. — Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026 As people suffer the effects of disease, the vampire rises to plague our nightmares. — Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2026 Acceptance Soenen’s denial eventually gave way to panic attacks and nightmares. — Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 4 Oct. 2026 One of those nightmares centers on whether the execution team will be able to establish an IV line. — Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 25 Sep. 2026 The Texans are supposed to be elite on the defensive side of the ball, but having to face Allen and then Burrow will give any defensive coordinator nightmares. — Outkick, FOXNews.com, 20 Sep. 2026 Those include the harrowing night terrors Tony begins to experience — intense, frightening nightmares that cause people with Parkinson’s to violently act out in their sleep. — Michael Rechtshaffen, HollywoodReporter, 16 Sep. 2026 These nine classics skillfully keep audiences guessing while depicting different kinds of waking nightmares, making the protagonists’ traumas our own for a few entertaining hours. — David Faris, TheWeek, 14 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for nightmares

Noun

The horrors at Requiem Haunted House, the largest indoor scare attraction in the Treasure Valley, begin as soon as you’re greeted at the door.

— Hali Smith October 17, Idaho Statesman, 17 Oct. 2026
And the potential horrors within are keeping him from opening it.

— Matt Reigle OutKick, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of horrors

Noun

There are few harsher agonies than waiting, and throughout the great expanse of the CPKC ‘International’ Grand Prix presented by Rolex at the Spruce Meadows ‘Masters’, two riders felt that in very different ways.

— Tilly Berendt, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
Sadly, in discouraging all the phantom agonies, FIFA inadvertently seems to have done away with the equally farcical phenomenon that is Magic Spray®.

— Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 17 July 2026

Definition of agonies

Noun

Penal Code 597 states that any person who who maliciously and intentionally maims, mutilates, tortures, or wounds a living animal is guilty of a crime.

— Martha Ross, Mercury News, 5 Sep. 2026
Tykes get slapped around, shot with arrows and dangled in traffic — tortures that are played seriously, but the shock of them allows you to guffaw.

— Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2026

Definition of tortures

Noun

Some residents said hope is elusive given the island’s litany of miseries – from natural disasters to a bankrupt government to a financial control board that manages funding for infrastructure.

— Isabel Rosales, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2026
Cyclospora, an intestinal parasite, has sickened thousands of people and hospitalized hundreds with explosive diarrhea, painful cramping, or other gastrointestinal miseries.

— Emily Kay Votruba, EverydayHealth.com, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of miseries

Noun

So too did Trump spiritual advisor Paula White-Cain, who compared the president’s torments to those of Jesus.

— Pat Beall, Sun Sentinel, 17 Apr. 2026
In the face of such grave concerns, Alyoshka’s torments seem self-indulgent and frustrating, but his problem—whether to leave or stay—is far from insignificant.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 25 Mar. 2026

Definition of torments

Browse Nearby Words

nightmare

nightmares

nightmarish

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Nightmares.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nightmares. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of nightmares

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

compunction

Popular in Grammar & Usage

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Popular

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

Games & Quizzes