nightmarish
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
- nightmarishly adverb
- nightmarishness noun
Etymology
Origin of nightmarish
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The attempt went relatively smoothly, she explains, apart from a "nightmarish" section when cleaning a kid's playground at four in the morning where the game's bright primary colours affected her in "a very psychedelic way".
From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026
South Korean stocks extended their recent nightmarish run on Monday after oil topped $100 a barrel for the first time since the aftermath of Russia invading Ukraine.
From Barron's • Mar. 9, 2026
Harvey Pratt was a young police officer in Midwest City, Okla., during a string of nightmarish murders in the early 1960s.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 29, 2026
The soaking rains may threaten coastal cities with flash floods and nightmarish traffic, but they promise sweet relief for snow-starved thrill seekers from Lake Tahoe to the San Bernardino Mountains in Southern California.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 22, 2025
The colors were nightmarish, the lines jagged, the images disturbing.
From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
