How to describe a nightmare in a story? If this question has brought you here, we have an answer! Actually we have 10 answers, or should we say 10 words that will help you. Read on!
1. Frightening
Definition
Producing fear.
Examples
“The frightening nightmare kept him up all night.”
“The nightmare was so frightening that she was afraid of returning to it if she went back to sleep.”
How it Adds Description
Nightmares, by definition, are dreams so scary and upsetting that they cause rational or irrational fear. Describing them as frightening gets straight the point and says exactly what kind of nightmare it is: one that makes the character scared to have the same dream again.
2. Unsettling
Definition
- Causing upset or disturbing feelings.
- Creating a sense of discomfort or worry.
Examples
“She was highly disturbed by the unsettling nightmare; it made her anxious for reasons she couldn’t describe.”
“What an unsettling nightmare! So many thoughts and feelings with no real reason for being there…”
How it Adds Description
Nightmares aren’t just scary. Sometimes, nightmares are upsetting because they create disjointed and uncomfortable feelings or associations. Use unsettling when you want to show your characters are more concerned by the nightmare’s images than scared.
3. Distressing
Definition
- Feelings of suffering or danger.
- Causing worry or anxiety.
- Cause change through great strain or damage.
Examples
“The distressing nightmare left her feeling anxious all day.”
“He wondered why he had had such a distressing nightmare about a tornado; was it a vision or just a nightmare?”
How it Adds Description
What makes nightmares even more concerning than the fear is the anxiety and worry left in the dreamer afterward. What if the nightmare were to become real? What if there’s a reason that they dreamt it that way? Describing the nightmare as distressing highlights all those concerns by putting the word stress front and center in connection to the nightmare.
4. Disturbing
Definition
Creating thoughts of apprehension, alarm, or unease.
Examples
“He was so upset by the disturbing nightmare that he could barely sleep the next night for fear of dreaming it again.”
“The nightmare was so disturbing that she kept seeing flashes of it in her head all the next day.
How it Adds Description
One of the worst parts of nightmares is how they can stay with the dreamer throughout the rest of the following days or weeks. Use disturbing if you want to emphasize the long-lasting effects of the nightmare and how it impacts the rest of the character’s choices and mood.
5. Terrifying
Definition
- Causing extreme fright or anxiety.
- Of an intimidating sort.
Examples
“With a scream caught in his throat and sweat on his brow, he bolted upright in the bed after the terrifying nightmare.”
“She stared blankly at the ceiling above her, no longer able to sleep after such a terrifying nightmare.”
How it Adds Description
Terrifying suggests something that is so scary it cannot be conquered, like inner demons or worst fears. Is the dreamer afraid of heights? Describe their nightmare as terrifying if it focuses on them having to jump from a tall building. Is there someone the dreamer is afraid of losing? Describe their nightmare as terrifying if they’re forced to choose between letting that person live or die. Use terrifying to show a deep, existential fear in the nightmare, rather than the normal jump scares.
6. Chilling
Definition
Exceedingly distressful or scary.
Examples
“The faces of the victims in her chilling nightmare followed her throughout her waking day.”
“He couldn’t understand why he had had such a chilling nightmare; what was he so afraid of to dream such horrible things?”
How it Adds Description
Describing a nightmare as chilling suggests that whatever the nightmare was about goes beyond just being scary. The fear and stress of it has seeped into the dreamer’s bones. The nightmare and its effects have become part of the dreamer to a point that they couldn’t forget it if they actively tried.
7. Petrifying
Definition
Overpoweringly scary.
Examples
“She felt paralyzed after waking from the petrifying nightmare; not a single muscle would move.”
“He awoke with a soundless scream from the petrifying nightmare.”
How it Adds Description
To petrify means to harden, as if into rock, so to be petrified means that you are so scared you cannot move. Your fight or flight response has short-circuited, and you are stuck to the spot, like a deer in headlights. It is fear multiplied by 1000. Describing a nightmare as petrifying suggests that the fear created by it is so great that the dreamer has been shocked into inaction.
8. Startling
Definition
Creating a quick moment of shock, fear, or bewilderment.
Examples
“The nightmare was so startling that he couldn’t forget it the next day.”
“She was shocked awake by the startling nightmare.”
How it Adds Description
Startling suggests that something quickly grabbed your attention, maybe through surprise. Think of ‘jump scares’ in films or TV shows; those are startling because they make the viewer almost literally jump with surprise. A startling nightmare creates anxiety more than fear through unexpected events rather than drawn out, existential ones.
9. Horrifying
Definition
To cause feelings of dread or disgust.
Examples
“He couldn’t get across the dread of the horrifying nightmare he just had; it was too painful to describe adequately.”
“What was more horrifying about the nightmare was the fact that he would probably have it again tonight, just like he had had every night this week.”
How it Adds Description
Horrifying is often used to describe something so frightening that its effects are felt long after the event has ended. Describing a nightmare as horrifying also suggests the events of the nightmare are beyond explanation because they’ve created such a sense of dread that the dreamer doesn’t want to return to it for a second.
10. Shocking
Definition
Exceptionally disturbing, tormenting, or unpleasant.
Examples
“The shocking nightmare had her up all night, contemplating its meaning and the state of her own brain in creating it.”
“He could not believe the shocking nightmare he just had; it was like nothing he’d ever experienced before.”
How it Adds Description
Like startling, a shocking nightmare is one that creates fear and anxiety through surprise; think of the effects of an electric shock. But where startling describes quick, unexpected moments of fear, shocking can be used to describe a nightmare that is more overwhelming. Use shocking if you want to emphasize that the dreamer is shaken by the contents of their nightmare and the reasons for their fear.