nightmare

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++朗文当代英语 5++LDOCE 5++朗文 5++night·mare /ˈnaɪtmeə $ -mer/ noun [countable] 1 DREAMa very frightening dream 噩梦，梦魇nightmare about Years after the accident I still have nightmares about it. 事故发生很多年后，我依然会做噩梦。 a recurring nightmare (=one which you have again and again) 一再出现的噩梦 →4 See picture of 见图 nightmare2 EXPERIENCE[usually singular] a very difficult, unpleasant, or frightening experience or situation 棘手的[不愉快的，可怕的]经历[事情] Traffic was a nightmare. 交通情况非常糟糕。nightmare for This has been an absolute nightmare for me and my family. 这对我和我的家庭来说一直都是件非常可怕的事。nightmare of (doing) something the nightmare of going through divorce 经历离婚过程的痛苦 It was every teacher’s worst nightmare (=the worst thing which could have happened). 对每位老师来说，那都是一场最可怕的梦魇。 a nightmare journey 糟糕的旅程3 BADsomething terrible that you fear may happen in the future 可能发生的恐怖事件nightmare of the nightmare of a nuclear war 核战争的梦魇nightmare scenario (=the worst or most frightening situation that you can imagine) 最坏[恐怖]的设想 —nightmarish adjectiven COLLOCATIONS – Meaning 2: a very difficult, unpleasant, or frightening experience or situationadjectivesan absolute/complete nightmareThe whole day was an absolute nightmare.a real nightmareThe situation with our neighbours is a real nightmare!the ultimate nightmare (=the worst possible situation)The ultimate nightmare for any parent is to suffer the loss of a child.somebody's worst nightmare (=the worst possible situation)The outbreak of foot and mouth disease was farming's worst nightmare.a long nightmareHow can we bring an end to the long nightmare in the Middle East?a living/waking nightmare (=something extremely bad that happens in your life)Being told I had cancer was a waking nightmare.a logistical nightmare (=something that is very complicated and difficult to organize)Arranging childcare during the summer can be a logistical nightmare.an administrative/bureaucratic nightmare (=something that is very complicated and difficult to keep accurate records of)Dealing with so many new applications for asylum is an administrative nightmare.a personal/private nightmare (=a very bad situation that affects only one person)His personal nightmare began when he was arrested for murder.verbsbe a nightmareThe whole holiday was a nightmare.become/turn into a nightmareTheir honeymoon turned into a nightmare when they were involved in a car accident.a nightmare beginsThe nightmare began when her mother fell ill.a nightmare endsWe just want this nightmare to end!end a nightmareHe longed for something to end the nightmare.a nightmare comes true (=something bad that someone fears actually happens)The company's worst financial nightmare has now come true.nightmare + NOUNthe nightmare scenario (=the worst possible situation)Emergency planners are trying to prepare for this nightmare scenario.a nightmare vision (=a very bad situation that might happen)The book gives us a nightmare vision of a family destroyed by one man's secrets.a nightmare world (=a situation in which everything is bad and there is nothing good)It's hard to understand how people survived the nightmare world of the concentration camps.a nightmare journey/trip (=an extremely unpleasant journey)Commuters are facing a nightmare journey to work due to the tube drivers strike.

Examples from the Corpus

nightmare• There is a difference between a bad dream and a nightmare.• The hostages described life in the prison camp as a nightmare of fear and uncertainty.• Starting school can be a nightmare for some children.• Thousands of commuters faced a nightmare journey to work because of the strikes.• In the early hours of the morning, at about three, Stephen jerked awake from a nightmare.• He woke from a nightmare, trembling with fear.• He came awake suddenly, feeling frightened, as if he had had a nightmare.• There were lots of posters and stuffed animals but all of them had a nightmare quality.• Still, Streep and Neeson are wonderful to watch as they show us how easily normality can slip into a nightmare.• The couple's honeymoon turned into a nightmare when Martin suddenly became very ill.• We were stuck in a traffic jam for about four hours - it was a nightmare.• It was a nightmare driving home in the snow.• As the ship went down, people were rushing around in the dark screaming and yelling. It was an absolute nightmare.• The man looked like something from a bad nightmare.• Highway 17 is a commuter nightmare.• An oil spill on this part of the coast is the conservationists' nightmare scenario.• During the trial, she had nightmares.• Years after the accident I still have nightmares about it.• Visions or nightmares for others, but for him daylight events, in full consciousness.have nightmares• Other children act out in school and have nightmares, the parents say.• If he slept he might have nightmares about Will and Chessie.• I was going to have nightmares for weeks.• He didn't want me to have nightmares, he said.• But after that, I started to have nightmares.• But now I knew I would have nightmares all night: Did I give one little child too much?nightmare of (doing) something• Everything had been reduced to chance, a nightmare of numbers and probabilities.• A nightmare of wilt and mildew, of fungus and blackspot.• We've all had nightmares of falling.• I still shudder recalling the recurring nightmare of Tuesdays, when we went to the art house to lay out the paper.• That still wouldn't solve the problem of that nightmare of an interview, though, would it?• The nightmare of being wrongly accused and convicted of a crime certainly sends shivers down my spine.• The ultimate nightmare of almost every man is to witness helplessly the rape of his wife.• Urban nightmare of the past Small towns were overrun, new towns created.nightmare of• the nightmare of cancerOrigin nightmare (1200-1300) night + mare “evil spirit” ((11-18 centuries)) (from Old English)

night·mare noun →n COLLOCATIONS1LDOCE OnlineChineseSyllable

frightening very a Corpus dream

nightmare
night‧mare /ˈnaɪtmeə $ -mer/

noun [countable]

Date: 1200-1300
Origin: night + mare 'evil spirit' (11-18 centuries) (from Old English)

1. a very frightening dream
nightmare about

Years after the accident I still have nightmares about it.

a recurring nightmare (=one which you have again and again)
2. [usually singular] a very difficult, unpleasant, or frightening experience or situation:

Traffic was a nightmare.
nightmare for

This has been an absolute nightmare for me and my family.
nightmare of (doing) something

the nightmare of going through divorce

It was every teacher’s worst nightmare (=the worst thing which could have happened).

a nightmare journey
3. something terrible that you fear may happen in the future
nightmare of

the nightmare of a nuclear war
nightmare scenario (=the worst or most frightening situation that you can imagine)
—nightmarish adjective

COLLOCATIONS

(for Meaning 2)

■ adjectives
   ▪ an absolute/complete nightmare The whole day was an absolute nightmare.
   ▪ a real nightmare The situation with our neighbours is a real nightmare!
   ▪ the ultimate nightmare (=the worst possible situation) The ultimate nightmare for any parent is to suffer the loss of a child.
   ▪ somebody's worst nightmare (=the worst possible situation) The outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease was farming's worst nightmare.
   ▪ a long nightmare How can we bring an end to the long nightmare in the Middle East?
   ▪ a living/waking nightmare (=something extremely bad that happens in your life) Being told I had cancer was a waking nightmare.
   ▪ a logistical nightmare (=something that is very complicated and difficult to organize) Arranging childcare during the summer can be a logistical nightmare.
   ▪ an administrative/bureaucratic nightmare (=something that is very complicated and difficult to keep accurate records of) Dealing with so many new applications for asylum is an administrative nightmare.
   ▪ a personal/private nightmare (=a very bad situation that affects only one person) His personal nightmare began when he was arrested for murder.
■ verbs
   ▪ be a nightmare The whole holiday was a nightmare.
   ▪ become/turn into a nightmare Their honeymoon turned into a nightmare when they were involved in a car accident.
   ▪ a nightmare begins The nightmare began when her mother fell ill.
   ▪ a nightmare ends We just want this nightmare to end!
   ▪ end a nightmare He longed for something to end the nightmare.
   ▪ a nightmare comes true (=something bad that someone fears actually happens) The company's worst financial nightmare has now come true.
■ nightmare + NOUN
   ▪ the nightmare scenario (=the worst possible situation) Emergency planners are trying to prepare for this nightmare scenario.
   ▪ a nightmare vision (=a very bad situation that might happen) The book gives us a nightmare vision of a family destroyed by one man's secrets.
   ▪ a nightmare world (=a situation in which everything is bad and there is nothing good) It's hard to understand how people survived the nightmare world of the concentration camps.
   ▪ a nightmare journey/trip (=an extremely unpleasant journey) Commuters are facing a nightmare journey to work due to the tube drivers strike.

THESAURUS

■ when you are sleeping
   ▪ dream the thoughts, images, and feelings that go through your mind while you are asleep: I had a strange dream last night -- you and I were in some sort of forest.
   ▪ nightmare a very unpleasant and frightening dream: She still has terrible nightmares about the accident.
   ▪ daydream a series of pleasant thoughts that go through your mind when you are awake, so that you do not notice what is happening around you: Neil was in a daydream, and didn’t hear the teacher call his name.
   ▪ reverie formal a state of imagining or thinking about pleasant things, that is like dreaming: The doorbell rang, shaking her from her reverie.

night·mare

BrE

/ˈnaɪtmeə(r)/

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NAmE

/ˈnaɪtmer/

🔊

noun