nightmarish.

So frightening, disturbing, or chaotic that it resembles a nightmare.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• nightmarish scene
• nightmarish ordeal

On the page

The descent became a nightmarish ordeal.

Usage notes

Primary category: horror / gothic. Forms: Comparative more nightmarish; superlative most nightmarish when comparison is meaningful. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Commonness: moderately common.