nightmare
noun
a terrifying dream in which the dreamer experiences feelings of helplessness, extreme anxiety, sorrow, etc.
nightmarishness
-
a word derived from
nightmare.
-
a word derived from
nightmarish.
nightmarishadjectiveresembling a nightmare, especially in being terrifying, exasperating, or the like.
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 weird sets he and everyone else walk through are an aesthetic a bonus, externalizing the nightmarishness of their excessive financial burden.
From Salon ● Oct. 2, 2021
Whether it was the nightmarishness of the show or simply the cumulative weight of all the years of work, the retrospective sapped Nauman, and he had difficulty returning to work.
From New York Times ● Oct. 15, 2018
Steven McRae, who successfully conveys the Creature’s pitiable longing for love and acceptance, is nonetheless too polished and virtuosic a dancer to evoke the necessary nightmarishness of Frankenstein’s alter ego.
From New York Times ● May 9, 2016
That makes the nightmarishness a literary quality, but it also corresponds to the way things really are, to our inner experience that just won’t stay inner.
From The Guardian ● Oct. 21, 2014
