nightmare
part of speech
noun (a nightmare, nightmares)
meaning for a pupil
1) A frightening or very upsetting dream. tree →
2) A very difficult or unpleasant situation or experience. tree →
sense in the lessons
In feelings lessons, nightmares are normal, especially after scary films or worries; talking about them, a calm bedtime and a nightlight help, and a nightmare is not real. In everyday speech, a traffic jam or a messy day can be «a nightmare». In stories, a nightmare can show what a character fears. Phrases: «have a nightmare», «wake up from a nightmare», «a nightmare journey», «a living nightmare».
examples
- I had a nightmare about a giant spider. tree →
- She woke up screaming from a nightmare. tree →
- Scary films give me nightmares. tree →
- Getting home in the snow was a nightmare. tree →
- Dad said the traffic was a total nightmare. tree →
- After a nightmare, a hug from Mum helps. tree →
- Nightmares can feel real, but they are only dreams. tree →
- Losing the tickets would be a nightmare! tree →
- He thought he had a nightmare. tree →
note
Countable; one word. The opposite of a bad dream is a «sweet dream». The old word «mare» meant an evil spirit, not a horse. If nightmares happen often, tell a parent or doctor.
In the corpora
- Drawing a repeated nightmare and imagining a better ending can stop it coming back.
- Scary films and videos before bed often cause nightmares and bad sleep in children.
- Zara said: «Nah, I'll just get nightmares and you'll get grounded.
- He just says, «My dad's a nightmare anyway, you're not missing much,» and nicks a chip.
- Nightmares are common in children, are often linked to stress or scary stories, and don't predict the future.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «nightmare» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.