Did you know?
Looking at nightmare, you might guess that it is a compound formed from night and mare. If so, your guess is correct. But while the night in nightmare makes sense, the mare part is less obvious. Most English speakers know mare as a word for a female horse or similar equine animal, but the mare of nightmare is a different word, an obsolete one referring to an evil spirit that was once thought to produce feelings of suffocation in people while they slept. By the 14th century the mare was also known as nightmare, and by the late 16th century nightmare was also being applied to the feelings of distress caused by the spirit, and then to frightening or unpleasant dreams.
Synonyms
Examples of nightmare in a Sentence
Andy Greenberg Andrew Couts, WIRED, 13 Apr. 2024
But the revival of the 1864 law in Arizona amounts to something of a nightmare scenario for Republicans in the state.
—Chris Cameron, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2024
What follows is a road trip through the worst nightmare of what the country could become.
—Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 10 Apr. 2024
The American nightmare, on the other hand, belongs to all of us.
—Tanya Melendez, EW.com, 6 Apr. 2024
While the song’s beat may be softer, Santa doesn’t hold back his rapid-fire verses about a love story that turns into a nightmare, with betrayal and deception.
—Griselda Flores, Billboard, 5 Apr. 2024
Losing luggage is a nightmare scenario for many travelers.
—Zach Wichter, USA TODAY, 3 Apr. 2024
High mortgage rates and even higher home prices have made buying a new home nearly impossible for many Americans; renters are facing record costs; and the commercial real estate sector is stuck in a nightmare scenario.
—Will Daniel, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2024
Or worse, end up with a reliability nightmare the moment the warranty is up.
—Collin Woodard / Jalopnik, Quartz, 29 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nightmare.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Middle English nyghte mare, from nyghte night entry 1 + mare mare entry 3
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing nightmare
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Dictionary Entries Near nightmare
Cite this Entry
“Nightmare.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nightmare. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
nightmare
noun
Middle English nightmare "evil spirit thought to haunt people during sleep," from night "night" and mare "spirit," from Old English mare "evil spirit haunting people in sleep"
Medical Definition
nightmare
noun
More from Merriam-Webster on nightmare
Nglish: Translation of nightmare for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of nightmare for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about nightmare
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