Definitions for nightmare
ˈnaɪtˌmɛərnight·mare

Princeton's WordNet(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. nightmare, incubus(noun)

   a situation resembling a terrifying dream

2. nightmare(noun)

   a terrifying or deeply upsetting dream

GCIDE(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Nightmare(n.)

   A trerrifying or oppressive dream characterized by a sense of helplessness in the face of danger, extreme uneasiness or discomfort (as of weight on the chest or stomach, impossibility of motion or speech, etc.) or extreme anxiety, from which one wakes in a troubled state of mind.

   Etymology: [Night + mare incubus. See Mare incubus.]

2. Nightmare(n.)

   Hence: Any overwhelming, oppressive, or terrifying experience resembling a nightmare especially in the inability to escape from an unpleasant situation.

   Etymology: [Night + mare incubus. See Mare incubus.]

Wiktionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. nightmare(Noun)

   A female demon or monster, thought to plague people while they slept and cause a feeling of suffocation and terror during sleep.

   Etymology: From night + mare.

2. nightmare(Noun)

   A very bad or frightening dream.

   I had a nightmare that I tried to run but could neither move nor breathe.

   Etymology: From night + mare.

3. nightmare(Noun)

   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.

   Etymology: From night + mare.

Webster Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Nightmare(noun)

   a fiend or incubus formerly supposed to cause trouble in sleep

   Etymology: [Night + mare incubus. See Mare incubus.]

2. Nightmare(noun)

   a condition in sleep usually caused by improper eating or by digestive or nervous troubles, and characterized by a sense of extreme uneasiness or discomfort (as of weight on the chest or stomach, impossibility of motion or speech, etc.), or by frightful or oppressive dreams, from which one wakes after extreme anxiety, in a troubled state of mind; incubus

   Etymology: [Night + mare incubus. See Mare incubus.]

3. Nightmare(noun)

   hence, any overwhelming, oppressive, or stupefying influence

   Etymology: [Night + mare incubus. See Mare incubus.]

Freebase(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Nightmare

   A nightmare is an unpleasant dream that can cause a strong emotional response from the mind, typically fear or horror, but also despair, anxiety and great sadness. The dream may contain situations of danger, discomfort, psychological or physical terror. Sufferers usually awaken in a state of distress and may be unable to return to sleep for a prolonged period of time. Nightmares can have physical causes such as sleeping in an uncomfortable or awkward position, having a fever, or psychological causes such as stress, anxiety, and ingestion of opioid drugs used in pain killers such as oxycodone and hydrocodone. Eating before going to sleep, which triggers an increase in the body's metabolism and brain activity, is a potential stimulus for nightmares. Recurrent nightmares that can interfere with sleeping patterns and cause insomnia may require medical help.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Nightmare

   nīt′mār, n. a dreadful dream accompanied with pressure on the breast, and a feeling of powerlessness to move or speak—personified as an incubus or evil-spirit.—adj. Night′marish. [A.S. niht, night, mara, a nightmare; cf. Old High Ger. mara, incubus, Ice. mara, nightmare.]

Suggested Resources(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. nightmare

   Song lyrics by nightmare -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by nightmare on the Lyrics.com website.

British National Corpus

1. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'nightmare' in Nouns Frequency: #2034

How to pronounce nightmare?

1. 

   Alex

   US English

   

   Daniel

   British

   

   Karen

   Australian

   

   Veena

   Indian

How to say nightmare in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of nightmare in Chaldean Numerology is: 3

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of nightmare in Pythagorean Numerology is: 5

Examples of nightmare in a Sentence

1. Hurricane Katrina:

   The Biggest Loser, it’s my biggest nightmare.

2. Jim Sorensen:

   A vision without action is called a daydream; but then again, action without a vision is called a nightmare.

3. Maatje Benassi:

   It's like waking up from a bad dream going into a nightmare day after day.

4. Enas Ibrahim:

   I don’t want to go back to Iraq, it’s my nightmare.

5. Kathy Barnes:

   This has been a nightmare, a very expensive nightmare, why won’t they do it?

Images & Illustrations of nightmare

Popularity rank by frequency of use