nightmarenoun [ C ]
uk/ˈnaɪt.meər/us/ˈnaɪt.mer/B1 a very upsetting or frightening dream:
a terrifying nightmare
I shouldn't have watched that movie - it'll give me nightmares.
B1 an extremely unpleasant event or experience or possible event or experience:
The whole journey was a nightmare - we lost our luggage and both flights were delayed.
Being trapped underwater is my worst nightmare.
More examples
- LeFanu suffered all his life from a recurrent nightmare that he was trapped in a falling house.
- Strange dreams and nightmares oppressed him.
- Working there was like being trapped in a nightmare.
- I had a terrible nightmare last night.
- Nightmares may occur in times of severe tension.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Dreaming
- be hearing/imagining/seeing things idiom
- be miles away idiom
- daydream
- daydreaming
- daze
- dream
- dreamless
- fantasist
- fantasize
- hallucinate
- hallucination
- imagination
- in a dream idiom
- optical illusion
- out of 2
- out of it idiom
- reverie
- thing
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Difficult situations and unpleasant experiences
nightmarish
adjective uk/ˈnaɪt.meə.rɪʃ/us/ˈnaɪt.mer.ɪʃ/
a nightmarish traffic jam
nightmarishly
adverb uk/ˈnaɪt.meə.rɪʃ.li/us/ˈnaɪt.mer.ɪʃ.li/