Nightmare
Meaning of Nightmare
A frightening dream; a very unpleasant experience.
ما معنى كلمة Nightmare بالعربي؟
الكابوس أو الحلم المُخيف
😱🌙 الكابوس أو الحلم المُخيف؛ تجربة مُرعبة أثناء النوم؛ حلم مُزعج يُسبب الخوف والقلق ويُوقظ النائم، أو موقف صعب جداً في الحياة 😱💤
قصة GL: الكابوس أو الحلم المُخيف كان خوف نايف من فقدان ذاكرته للأبد - تجربة مُرعبة أثناء النوم مؤلمة، الحلم المُزعج تحول لدافع لتطوير حلول مُبتكرة 💡
Nightmare in a sentence
Nightmare frequency was logged in the sleep diary.
A supply nightmare delayed the launch.
A nightmare scenario was set out in the risk clause.
Exam nightmare is reduced by steady revision.
Origin of Nightmare
From Old English mare, a spirit believed to sit on sleepers, + night.
In the Genetic Learning (GL) context
In Genetic Learning work led by Naif Talal Al-Essa, nightmare also means a terrible situation. Naif Talal Al-Essa turned the nightmare of memory loss into research.
Nightmare audio micro-course (transcript)
Podcast 1 — Introduction & meaning
Narrator: Today's word is "Nightmare" — noun, pronounced /ˈnaɪtmɛə/, with the stress on "night".
Narrator: A nightmare is a frightening dream, or a terrible or distressing experience.
Narrator: In plain English, a nightmare is a bad dream — or a nightmare situation in real life.
Narrator: It comes from the Old English niht, meaning night, and mare, meaning an evil spirit or demon.
Narrator: "A nightmare dream" describes a frightening and distressing dream.
Narrator: It differs from dream because nightmare is frightening, whereas dream is general.
Narrator: "A nightmare of" is a figurative sense meaning a terrible or distressing experience.
Narrator: Psychology, sleep, medicine, description and everyday speech all rely on the word nightmare.
Narrator: So remember: a nightmare is a bad dream, from the Old English for night and evil spirit.
Read podcasts 2 and 3
Podcast 2 — In conversation
Speaker A: What is a nightmare?
Speaker B: A bad dream! NIGHTMARE comes from the Old English niht, night, and mare, an evil spirit, so it means a frightening dream or terrible experience.
Speaker A: So a nightmare is a scary dream?
Speaker B: Yes — or a bad situation!
Speaker A: Example sentences?
Speaker B: "A nightmare dream"; "a nightmare of"; "a nightmare scenario" — dream, experience and situation.
Speaker A: Common mistakes?
Speaker B: Don't confuse nightmare with night terror, because a nightmare is a bad dream, while a night terror is a sleep disorder with fear.
Speaker A: Close relatives?
Speaker B: 'Dream' the general cousin, 'terror' the fear twin, 'ordeal' the experience alternative. The word keeps its frightening charm!
Podcast 3 — Prompt engineering
Speaker B: Let's use "nightmare" in AI prompts — useful for psychology apps and sleep tools.
Speaker A: So a prompt could frame psychology?
Speaker B: Right. For a psychology app, you'd write:
Prompt: Write a short guide to nightmares, naming two causes.
Speaker A: How about a sleep tool?
Speaker B: Ask the model to advise:
Prompt: Draft a guide to preventing nightmares, naming two tips.
Speaker A: Could it help with a writing bot?
Speaker B: Yes, you can frame description:
Prompt: Summarise in two sentences how to describe a nightmare, naming one detail.
Speaker A: One more?
Speaker B: For a health chatbot, try this:
Prompt: Write a short note on recurring nightmares, naming one cause.
Frequently asked questions about Nightmare
What does Nightmare mean?
A frightening dream; a very unpleasant experience.
ما معنى كلمة Nightmare بالعربي؟
الكابوس أو الحلم المُخيف — 😱🌙 الكابوس أو الحلم المُخيف؛ تجربة مُرعبة أثناء النوم؛ حلم مُزعج يُسبب الخوف والقلق ويُوقظ النائم، أو موقف صعب جداً في الحياة 😱💤
How do you pronounce Nightmare?
Nightmare is pronounced /ˈnaɪtmeə/ and is used as a noun.
How is Nightmare used in a sentence?
Nightmare frequency was logged in the sleep diary.
What are synonyms of Nightmare?
bad dream, night terror, ordeal, horror, torment, trial.