Nightmare and Scare

Nightmare

Nightmare noun - A situation or state that causes great suffering and unhappiness.

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Scare and nightmare are semantically related. In some cases you can use "Scare" instead a noun "Nightmare".

Nearby Word: nightmarish

Scare noun - The emotion experienced in the presence or threat of danger.

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Nightmare and scare are semantically related. Sometimes you can use "Nightmare" instead a noun "Scare".

Nearby Words: scar, scared, scary, scaring

brief	brief nightmare	brief scare
original	original nightmare	original scare
many	many nightmare	many scare
proper	proper nightmare	proper scare
Other adjectives: nasty, actual, real, massive, little, horrible, famous, ultimate, awful, later, last, scary, aforementioned.

Both versions of "Zan" have a first note nightmare and a last note nightmare, with a scare riff at the end

Source: Last Note Nightmare
While he can look however he wants, as a nightmare ghost he prefers to appear as his post-death burnt self, probably to scare his victims.

Source: Franchise / A Nightmare on Elm Street
If it is meant to scare but fails to deliver, and becomes hilarious instead, it devolves into Nightmare Retardant.

Source: Nightmare Fuel

Cite this Source

Scare and Nightmare. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 13, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/nightmare/scare

Nightmare & Scare. N.p., 2016. Web. 13 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/nightmare/scare>.

Scare or Nightmare. 2016. Accessed August 13, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/nightmare/scare.

Google Ngram Viewer shows how "nightmare" and "scare" have occurred on timeline