Key Difference: We usually get confused while using the words dream and nightmare. Even though we use these words interchangeably, there is a slight difference between them which you have to know of. A Dream is a sensation of an image, event, happiness, or sadness during sleeping. On the other hand, a nightmare is defined as a horrible thing that makes us feel unpleasant or scared during sleeping. In this tutorial, we will show you the contradictions of these terms with simple explanations for your easy understanding.
Dream: I saw a beautiful doll in my dream.
Nightmare: It’s a long nightmare and I can’t explain it now.
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Dream:
A sensation experienced by a person during sleep.
A dream is a sensation of an image, event, happiness, or sadness during sleeping. In other words, a dream is a sensation experienced by a person during sleep. Let’s see an example to make it clear for you. Her dream is to become an artist. From this statement, we might understand that someone’s dream is to become an artist in the future. Here we come up with another example for your reference. I hope one day my dream will come true. From this statement, we might understand that someone said that his or her dream will happen soon.
How Do We Spell the Word Dream?
The phonetics pronunciation of the word Dream is driːm. And this word sounds like the following audio.
Enunciation:
Syllabification refers to the process of division of words into smaller parts. It is commonly known as syllables. With its help, you can easily read and spell the word accurately. Here, you will see how to split the word “Dream” by syllables.
- The word “Dream” has only one syllable.
- It cannot be divided.
Using “Dream” in sentences:
- I wouldn’t dream of troubling you.
- Who could dream of a situation like this?
- He planned to build his own dream house.
- You should make your dream come true.
- My dream is to study in New York.
Nightmare:
An unpleasant dream.
A nightmare is an unpleasant or frightening dream. In other words, a nightmare is a horrible thing that makes us feel unpleasant. Let’s see an example to make it clear for you. She woke up in the middle of a nightmare. From this statement, we might understand that someone is woken up during sleeping because of a bad dream. Here we come up with another example for your reference. He had a terrible nightmare. From this statement, we might understand that someone has a horrifying dream.
How Do We Spell the Word Nightmare?
The phonetics pronunciation of the word Nightmare is ˈnʌɪtmɛː. And this word sounds like the following audio.
Enunciation:
Syllabification refers to the process of division of words into smaller parts. It is commonly known as syllables. With its help, you can easily read and spell the word accurately. Here, you will see how to split the word “Nightmare” by syllables.
- The word “Nightmare” has two syllables.
- It can be divided into “Night-mare.”
Using “Nightmare” in sentences:
- Do you know what my nightmare is?
- It’s just a nightmare.
- I was happy to wake from such an unpleasant nightmare.
- She has a nightmare.
- Being surrounded by snakes is my worst nightmare.
Compare: Dream Vs Nightmare
This table will show the contradiction between the words’ Dream and Nightmare.
| Dream | Nightmare | |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A sensation experienced by a person during sleep. | The nightmare is an unpleasant dream. |
| Synonyms | Fantasy, hallucination, vision | Incubus, bad dream |
| Antonyms | Fact, reality | Fact, happiness, peace |
| Etymology | Middle English: of Germanic origin, related to Dutch droom and German Traum, and probably also to Old English drēam ‘joy, music’. | Middle English (denoting a female evil spirit thought to lie upon and suffocate sleepers): from night + Old English mære ‘incubus’. |
| Examples | I had a dream that I was standing in the library, surrounded by my friends. She had a dream about Robert. He woke from a strange dream. I had a bad dream. When will you achieve your dream? | The years I spend alone were a nightmare. Taking my daughter to the cinema was a nightmare. I saw some horrible things in the nightmare. She is so scared because of a nightmare. This is a perfect time to end the nightmare. |
Resources and References:
Resources: Cambridge Dictionary (Dream, Nightmare), Merriam-Webster (Dream, Nightmare), Collins Dictionary (Dream, Nightmare), Dictionary.com (Dream, Nightmare)
Reference: Dictionary.Cambridge.org[1], Merriam-Webster.com[2], CollinsDictionary.com[3], Dictionary.com[4].