Find Synonyms

nightmare Synonyms

Another word for nightmare

Choosing another word for nightmare depends on context, so the 15 synonyms and similar words below are separated across 3 exact definitions and ranked by match strength.
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• noun (Context 1)

A frightening or unpleasant dream, often accompanied by feelings of intense anxiety, helplessness, or terror.

Usage Example

"The child woke up crying after having a vivid bad dream about being lost in the dark."

Strongest
bad dream
Strong
night terror

• noun (Context 2)

A terrifying, overwhelmingly difficult, or deeply unpleasant real-life experience or situation.

Usage Example

"Navigating the airport during the holiday snowstorm turned into a logistical ordeal."

Strongest
ordeal
hell
living hell
Strong
horror
torment
torture
disaster
fiasco
catastrophe
trial

• noun (Context 3)

In Germanic and Slavic folklore, a malevolent spirit or demon thought to sit on the chest of a sleeping person, inducing feelings of suffocation and bad dreams.

Usage Example

"Early European superstition attributed sleep paralysis to the visitations of a mare."

Strongest
mare
incubus
Strong
succubus

Opposites of nightmare

The opposite of nightmare shifts depending on context. Common opposites include:

dream
heaven
paradise
breeze
pleasure
delight
joy
blessing
See all opposites of nightmare

• Nearby Words

nightlight
nightlong
nightly
nightmare
nightmarish
nightmarishly
nightmarishness

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Synonyms for Nightmare. In Wordmom Thesaurus. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/synonyms/nightmare
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