nightmare
/ˈnaɪt.mɛɚ/ noun B2- A very unpleasant or frightening dream. · I had a nightmare that I tried to run but could neither move nor breathe.
- Any bad, miserable, difficult or terrifying situation or experience that arouses anxiety, terror, agony or great displeasure. · Cleaning up after identity theft can be a nightmare of phone calls and letters.
- A feeling of extreme anxiety or suffocation experienced during sleep; sleep paralysis.
Plural nightmares
From the library
In that deeply peaceful atmosphere one could forget, or remember only as some fantastic nightmare, that darkened study with the sprawling, bloodstained figure on the floor.
"It was morning when I wakened, and it seemed to me that instead of coming out into a world of sanity I had emerged into some extraordinary nightmare.
You went to sleep full of thoughts of vengeance; they weighed heavily upon your stomach; you had the nightmare—that’s all.
Other matches
Learn nightmare in real texts
With a free account, hover any word in the library for its meaning, hear it read aloud, save words for review timed to your memory, and see how much of each book you already know.