Definition of nightmare in English:

noun

• 1A frightening or unpleasant dream.

  ‘I had nightmares after watching the horror movie’

  More example sentences

  • ‘I can hardly believe I slept so well, no dreams, nightmares or visions to contemplate this morning.’
  • ‘Cody was one of those that dreams nightmares and her nightmare was beginning to unfold right before her eyes.’
  • ‘He suggests this, for example, in the many places where he speaks of waking up out of our dreams or nightmares.’
  • ‘However, some dreams are nightmares and when you're having a nightmare they seem to go on and on and on.’
  • ‘So we see that most of these children and young men continue to have bad dreams and nightmares sometimes as often as two or three times a week.’
  • ‘In a further similarity to an ad break, my short bursts of sleep were filled with countless little dreams and nightmares, most of which I remember.’
  • ‘I don't dream a lot but when I do the dreams are often nightmares.’
  • ‘As a child I used to dream horrific nightmares about nuclear war.’
  • ‘Tell me about the dreams, the nightmares that you had for awhile.’
  • ‘With a degree in psychology behind him, he now practises psychotherapy in Colorado with an inside track on dreams and nightmares.’
  • ‘They had to watch their children having nightmares, being frightened of being alone and being scared of coming into an empty house.’
  • ‘Meanwhile this guy is having nightmares here, dreaming that alligators and lions are chasing him.’
  • ‘Could it have something to do with his dreams and nightmares about when he was a child?’
  • ‘I woke up this morning straight from a bad dream, a nightmare, if you will.’
  • ‘The nightmares had overrun his dreams again, leaving a sour ache in his soul, and he'd gone and taken it out on her.’
  • ‘When I finally fell asleep, it was restless, and filled with uneasy dreams and nightmares.’
  • ‘He couldn't quite remember that face, the same face that was so vivid and clear in dreams and nightmares.’
  • ‘Casey sleeps deeply, for once having good dreams and not the nightmares that she is accustomed to.’
  • ‘It is interesting that she has nightmares rather than sweet dreams in Chinese.’
  • ‘Sleep was something she might not get because her dreams can become nightmares.’

  Synonyms

  bad dream, night terrors

  View synonyms

• 2A very unpleasant or frightening experience or prospect.

  ‘the nightmare of racial hatred’

  ‘developing thunderclouds are a balloonist's worst nightmare’

  More example sentences

  • ‘Before I could do anything else, my worst nightmare happened, right before my eyes.’
  • ‘But he has avoided his own worst nightmare, which is that of missing life entirely.’
  • ‘And yesterday came confirmation that their worst nightmare had been realised.’
  • ‘Being in a plane doesn't bother me a bit, but being in a crawlspace is my worst nightmare.’
  • ‘However, when a woman gives birth her worst nightmare would be to have her child kidnapped from her.’
  • ‘When I looked down at the bottom of the cliff it was my worst nightmare.’
  • ‘A few hours later, after having been dragged out of the hotel at gunpoint, my worst nightmare had come true.’
  • ‘You see if I don't get better quickly he will have to face his worst nightmare.’
  • ‘At one stage the traffic in all directions came to a complete standstill which is our worst nightmare.’
  • ‘His worst nightmare came true the day before when he spotted some of his sheep frothing at the mouth.’
  • ‘The whole world thinking that he is a pathetic loser is pretty much his worst nightmare.’
  • ‘You know this is a Mother and Wife's worst nightmare ever, and both nightmares came to life in one single day.’
  • ‘It's your worst nightmare getting turned over in one of these games but maybe it'll make one or two of our guys sit and think a little bit.’
  • ‘So for somebody to be alleging that he abuses kids, that's got to be his worst nightmare.’
  • ‘I gulped as I gently set the phone back into the cradle and turn to face my worst nightmare.’
  • ‘It is Danny's worst nightmare: the encounter his fear had tried so hard to warn him about.’
  • ‘The twentieth century was scarred by the nightmare of Hitler's dream for the Aryan race.’
  • ‘It was simply asked that she account for her actions at a public inquiry and the situation turned into a nightmare.’
  • ‘Also, we are able to utilise him straight away to prevent simple situations from developing into nightmares.’

  Synonyms

  ordeal, horror, torment, trial

  View synonyms

  1. 2.1A person or situation that is very difficult to deal with.
     ‘buying wine can be a nightmare if you don't know enough about it’
     More example sentences

     • ‘We take a simple consumption tax and turn it into a complicated nightmare.’
     • ‘Though I did primary school teaching I forgot what a nightmare these tests are for parents.’
     • ‘That situation could have been a nightmare, but his mum views us both as surrogate daughters and is very easy to get along with.’
     • ‘Keeping up and dealing with the latest toy crazes can be a nightmare.’
     • ‘It was hard enough for the print media to deal with, and a nightmare for radio.’
     • ‘Outdated non-computerised files will lead to compliance nightmares.’
     • ‘To act as if it's no big deal is to ignore the organizational nightmare involved in creating a large-scale event such as this.’
     • ‘For many it can be a communications nightmare on top of an already challenging situation.’
     • ‘We are so concerned because if we don t get approval it will be a nightmare over the next five years.’
     • ‘Class sizes rose and clashing tests made drawing up an examination timetable a nightmare.’
     • ‘If your dialog box gets at all complicated, it can lead to a maintenance nightmare.’
     • ‘Such duplication of effort was not only a waste of resources but also a potential nightmare for those waiting on the test results.’
     • ‘Brad was my ex-boyfriend and the worst nightmare I have ever had to deal with.’
     • ‘He was every kid's worst nightmare for an uncle so feel sorry for Elissa - he was her uncle.’
     Synonyms

     ordeal, horror, torment, trial

     View synonyms