nightmare
A very scary or very bad dream you have when you are sleeping.
A very frightening, disturbing, or upsetting dream that you have while you are asleep.
A very bad and stressful situation or experience.
A very difficult, unpleasant, or confusing situation or experience that causes a lot of stress or trouble.
A person or thing that is very hard or very annoying to deal with.
A person or thing that is extremely difficult, demanding, or annoying to deal with.
In old stories, a bad spirit that sits on a sleeping person and gives them bad dreams.
In old stories and beliefs, an evil spirit or creature thought to sit on a sleeper’s chest and cause bad dreams or feelings of suffocation.
- Base: nightmare
- Plural: nightmares
a living nightmare
1real situation as bad as a nightmare
A real situation that is extremely bad and feels as terrible as a nightmare dream.
- The war turned their daily life into a living nightmare.
- For many people, losing their home is a living nightmare.
a nightmare come true
1feared nightmare becomes real
A very bad thing that really happens, which is like the very bad thing you were afraid of.
- The flood was a nightmare come true for residents living near the river.
- When the data was stolen, it was a nightmare come true for the company.
be a nightmare to deal with
1very difficult to handle
To be very difficult or very annoying to handle or manage.
- The company’s customer service can be a nightmare to deal with.
- Old insurance claims are a nightmare to deal with.
every parent's nightmare
1situation parents especially fear
A situation that almost all parents are very afraid of.
- Losing a child in a crowd is every parent's nightmare.
- The idea of a serious school accident is every parent's nightmare.
have a nightmare
1experience a frightening dream
To experience a very scary dream while you are sleeping.
- I often have nightmares if I eat too late at night.
- She had a nightmare about being trapped in an elevator.
like a bad nightmare
1unpleasant and unreal, like a nightmare
Used to say that a real situation feels very unpleasant and strange, similar to a scary dream.
- The whole experience was like a bad nightmare that we couldn’t wake up from.
- Watching the city burn felt like a bad nightmare.
nightmare scenario
1extremely bad possible situation
A very bad possible situation in the future that people are afraid might happen.
- Analysts warned of a nightmare scenario in which both banks fail at the same time.
- For the team, losing both star players would be a nightmare scenario.
turn into a nightmare
1become a very bad situation
To slowly or suddenly become a very bad and stressful situation.
- The simple repair quickly turned into a nightmare when more problems appeared.
- Our holiday turned into a nightmare after our luggage was lost.
worst nightmare
1most feared situation
The thing or situation that someone fears more than anything else.
- Failing the exam was his worst nightmare.
- For a pilot, losing both engines is the worst nightmare.