nightmare

[nahyt-mair] /ˈnaɪtˌmɛər/
noun
1.
a terrifying dream in which the dreamer experiences feelings of helplessness, extreme anxiety, sorrow, etc.
2.
a condition, thought, or experience suggestive of a nightmare:
the nightmare of his years in prison.
3.
(formerly) a monster or evil spirit believed to oppress persons during sleep.
Origin
1250-1300; Middle English; see night, mare2
Synonyms
1. phantasmagoria. See dream.
Examples from the web for nightmare
  • But for many of them, the dream is becoming more of a nightmare.
  • We can strategize to dream about a particular subject, solve a problem or end a recurring nightmare.
  • If the dream of education reformers is simply to get rid of unions, it will turn into a nightmare.
  • Digital recording is a music lover's dream but a music company's nightmare.
  • But working with the stuff can be an environmental nightmare.
  • No longer are low light and fast-paced conditions a photog's nightmare.
  • You're late, the traffic is a nightmare and you're yelling at the kids to stop fighting in the back.
  • Computers play an increasingly important role under the hood of our cars, which can make repairing your ride a nightmare.
  • Indifferent staff, it is an all around nightmare if you are caught up in it.
  • What is developing is worse than any nightmare scenario dreamed up by opponents of nuclear.
British Dictionary definitions for nightmare

nightmare

/ˈnaɪtˌmɛə/
noun
1.
a terrifying or deeply distressing dream
2.
  1. an event or condition resembling a terrifying dream: the nightmare of shipwreck
  2. (as modifier): a nightmare drive
3.
a thing that is feared
4.
(formerly) an evil spirit supposed to harass or suffocate sleeping people
Derived Forms
nightmarish, adjective
nightmarishly, adverb
nightmarishness, noun
Word Origin
C13 (meaning: incubus; C16: bad dream): from night + Old English mare, mære evil spirit, from Germanic; compare Old Norse mara incubus, Polish zmora, French cauchemar nightmare
Word Origin and History for nightmare
n.

late 13c., "an evil female spirit afflicting sleepers with a feeling of suffocation," compounded from night + mare (3) "goblin that causes nightmares, incubus." Meaning shifted mid-16c. from the incubus to the suffocating sensation it causes. Sense of "any bad dream" first recorded 1829; that of "very distressing experience" is from 1831. Cognate with Middle Dutch nachtmare, German Nachtmahr.

nightmare in Medicine

nightmare night·mare (nīt'mâr')
n.

  1. A dream arousing feelings of intense fear, horror, and distress.

  2. An event or experience that is intensely distressing.