nightmare
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A situation resembling a terrifying dream.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
nytmerSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈnaɪtmɛɹ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A situation resembling a terrifying dream
“The traffic jam on the highway was an absolute nightmare.”
figuratively
Any bad, miserable, difficult or terrifying situation or experience that arouses anxiety, terror, agony or great displeasure.
A very unpleasant or frightening dream.
verb
intransitive
To experience a nightmare.
transitive
To imagine (someone or something) as in a nightmare.
transitive
To trouble (someone or something), as by a nightmare.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- General and technical use
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A situation resembling a terrifying dream
Used this way, nightmare is a common word with a clearly unfavourable pull. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“The traffic jam on the highway was an absolute nightmare.”
- Emotional tone
- Negative
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Gentle
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- Serious and weighty
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use nightmare
- “I had a terrible nightmare last night about falling.”
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.