Definitions for nightmare
ˈnaɪtˌmɛərnight·mare

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. nightmare, incubusnoun

   a situation resembling a terrifying dream

2. nightmarenoun

   a terrifying or deeply upsetting dream

GCIDERate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Nightmarenoun

   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.

2. Nightmarenoun

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

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. nightmarenoun

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

2. nightmarenoun

   A very bad or frightening dream.

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

3. nightmarenoun

   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.

4. Etymology: From night + mare.

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Nightmarenoun

   A morbid oppression in the night, resembling the pressure of weight upon the breast.

   Etymology: night, and according to William Temple, mara, a spirit that, in the heathen mythology, was related to torment or suffocate sleepers.

   Saint Withold footed thrice the would,
   He met the nightmare, and her name he told;
   Bid her alight, and her troth plight. William Shakespeare, K. Lear.

   The forerunners of an apoplexy are, dulness, drowsiness, vertigoes, tremblings, oppressions in sleep, and night-mares. John Arbuthnot, on Aliments.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Nightmare

   A nightmare, also known as a bad dream, is an unpleasant dream that can cause a strong emotional response from the mind, typically fear but also despair, anxiety or great sadness. The dream may contain situations of discomfort, psychological or physical terror, or panic. After a nightmare, a person will often awaken in a state of distress and may be unable to return to sleep for a short period of time. Recurrent nightmares may require medical help, as they can interfere with sleeping patterns and cause insomnia. Nightmares can have physical causes such as sleeping in an uncomfortable position or having a fever, or psychological causes such as stress or anxiety. Eating before going to sleep, which triggers an increase in the body's metabolism and brain activity, can be a potential stimulus for nightmares.The prevalence of nightmares in children (5–12 years old) is between 20 and 30%, and for adults is between 8 and 30%. In common language, the meaning of nightmare has extended as a metaphor to many bad things, such as a bad situation or a scary monster or person.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. nightmare

   A nightmare is a distressing or terrifying dream that typically occurs during sleep, causing feelings of intense fear, anxiety, horror, or discomfort. Often, it can lead to disturbed sleep and leave the person with vivid and disturbing memories after waking up.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Nightmarenoun

   a fiend or incubus formerly supposed to cause trouble in sleep

2. Nightmarenoun

   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

3. Nightmarenoun

   hence, any overwhelming, oppressive, or stupefying influence

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

FreebaseRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

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 DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

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 ResourcesRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. nightmare

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

Matched Categories

1. • Dream
   • Situation

British National Corpus

1. Nouns Frequency

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

How to pronounce nightmare?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

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. Japanese Proverb:

   Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare.

2. Actor Liam Hemsworth:

   6. The smelly kid Some parents feel the need to use the entire plane as a diaper. Gross, but true : A child reportedly pooping on a plane seat on a Delta flight last year( the parents covered the seat with newspapers — how thoughtful). And it’s not unusual for babies to drop a( stink) bomb or two during the flight. ( If this emotional support pig can get kicked off a plane for crapping in the aisle, should little humans, too ?) 7. The chatty kid Chatty Cathy is generally one of the most annoying passengers on a flight but what if Cathy is six years old ? While adorable and curious, she’s probably the last person you want conversation with, because of course she continues to ask the same question in different ways. Or maybe she’s having a loud conversation with her doll. In fact, several years ago, a kid actually got kicked off a plane for being too chatty. According to the Associated Press, Kate Penland’s then 19-month-old son, Garren, started saying ‘ Bye, bye plane, ’ before takeoff — and would n’t stop. When the other passengers started complaining, Kate Penland got mad and eventually Kate Penland and Kate Penland son were asked to leave. That seems a little extreme. Maybe just give the kid a pack of pretzels( peanuts are too risky) and offer him a window seat. 8. The ultimate nightmare kid It’s fair to say no one wants to sit next to a kid who kicks your seat, complains, talks up a storm and manages to poop themselves all on one flight. But as they say in airline business, the sky’s the limit. Passengers who survive the ultimate nightmare child passenger deserve a medal. Actor Liam Hemsworth recently admitted on The Ellen DeGeneres Show that Actor Liam Hemsworth own three kids were those kids on a recent flight from London to Australia( a 30-hour trip). The Ellen DeGeneres Show was kind of like the trip from hell, they were all sick and literally took turns to scream. One would kinda do it and then look over and be like, ‘ I ’m done, you want a turn ? ’ ' Yep, Wahhhh ! ’ The whole cabin, yeah, wanted to kick us off … I don’t know what people expect though — you’re gon na put them in the suitcase or something ?

3. Japanese Proverb:

   Vision without action is a daydream. Action with without vision is a nightmare.

4. James Joyce:

   History is a nightmare from which we are trying to awaken.

5. Gerald R. Ford:

   My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over. (On succeeding Richard M Nixon as president)

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