night terror

An episode of nighttime arousal from sleep, accompanied by intense fear and agitation and not recalled after awakening. Night terrors are more common in children than in adults. Also called sleep terror.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

night′ ter`ror

a sudden feeling of extreme fear that awakens a sleeping person and is not associated with a dream.

[1895–1900]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

night terror - an emotional episode (usually in young children) in which the person awakens in terror with feelings of anxiety and fear but is unable to remember any incident that might have provoked those feelings

dramatic event, drama - an episode that is turbulent or highly emotional

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References in periodicals archive

"A child who suffers from a night terror has continually broken sleep but adjusting bedtime earlier even by half an hour can make a significant difference."

Sleep the secret to a nappy child & life; Health warning for parents over night terrors and tiredness

During one night terror, Stephen tried to throw himself through a fourth floor window.

REGULAR DOZE OF REAL TERROR; Sweet dreams turn sour when you sufffer from a sleep disorder. CLAIRE WALKER investigates

Last night terror experts said thousands of people could have been killed if cyanide was let off in one of London's crowded tube stations during rush-hour.

HINDLEY: AN ICON OF EVIL: CYANIDE TUBE PLOT

"The thing about a night terror is that it isn't a dream.

If I really WAS Wycliffe...I could solve this deadly riddle

My first night terror in Nottingham on Sunday night has now transformed into the most amazing experience ever.

Make a date for the ultimate girls' night

SLEEP SOLUTION: Don't worry During a night terror, children appear awake and may call out or thrash around but they're in a trance-like state and don't know you're there.

Are your kids getting enough SLEEP? Dear Miriam

Tension is still high in Bamburi, Mombasa following the night terror that was unleashed by a criminal gang on Monday in an attack that left 13 people injured.A spot check by the Nation Tuesday morning revealed that some businesses remained closed following the attack.

Tension high in Bamburi after attack by criminal gang

Hitchcock's bird Few mascots can give Partick's Kingsley a run for their money in the night terror stakes but Brighton's Sally Seagull must have caused a few monumental nightmares Oor Marcelo Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa couldn't have looked more like Oor Wullie as he watched his side beat Millwall.

Goal PoStS EXTRA TIME FROM AROUND THE GROUNDS

Crawled Out Of The Sea adds accordion and a snare riff, Tap At My Window is based on a Philip Larkin poem and Night Terror is a stirring call-to-arms.

play: pick of the week

Last night terror analyst Professor Paul Rogers, of the University of Bradford, said it would be crucial to establish whether the alleged abduction plan was an isolated one-off or part of a wider movement.

Cells 'are operating in region' BIRMINGHAM TERROR ARRESTS STRATEGY

By contrast, a night terror is a disorder of arousal, and may involve physical changes.

The dark side of sweet dreams

Neither does sleep paralysis resemble a night terror, in which a person suddenly emerges from slumber in apparent fear, flailing and shouting, but then falls back asleep and doesn't recall the incident in the morning.

Night of the crusher: the waking nightmare of sleep paralysis propels people into a spirit world