daymare

1 9.9

A scary or upsetting thought that happens while you are awake

noun
/ˈdeɪˌmɛr/

: pesadilla diurna

You're gonna give her daymares.
give me daymares

Examples

Nightmare, daymare.

Ladyhawke (1985)
Once upon a time - in a daymare

Imaginaerum (2012)
I was having a daymare.

Dracula: Dead and Loving It (1995)
I don't wanna give anyone daymares.

Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole (2010)
The buzzing of the police helicopter overhead wakes me from my daymare.

Fiction book (1995)
Suddenly, the loud noise broke my concentration, pulling me into a daymare of my worst fears.
As she sat alone in the dark room, troubling memories replayed in her mind, transforming into a vivid daymare.
The thought of failing the exam haunted him like a daymare, lingering throughout the day.

Antonyms

to daydream

40 2.3

To imagine pleasant things while you are awake and not paying attention

How Scary

terror

334 4.9

daymare

1 9.9

alarm

65 2.3

scare

156 2.0

unease

21 4.4

Surface Forms

daymare singular

daymares plural

Morphology

daymare = day + mare (semi-transparent) = day + mare

Formed by analogy to 'nightmare' (day + -mare); learners can infer 'a frightening experience during the day' from 'day' and knowledge of 'nightmare', but the element 'mare' itself is etymologically non-productive and may be unfamiliar.

Etymology

Daymare is formed from day and mare, the same mare in nightmare that once meant an 'evil spirit' thought to sit on people and give 'bad dreams'. So a daymare is like a nightmare during the day, a frightening thought or memory that happens while you are awake.