Definition of dreadful
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Examples of dreadful in a Sentence
Her performance was absolutely dreadful.
Those children have such dreadful manners.
Recent Examples of dreadful from the Web
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Hillary Clinton, who performed excellently in the dreadful campaign that highlighted misogyny in our society last year, has known all her life that she is expected to let her hair down, smile, and be the woman who stands behind the man.
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Catchers Yan Gomes and Roberto Perez have been dreadful on the offensive side, and though Cleveland is more than satisfied with their defense, the club could accelerate the arrival of the 21-year-old Mejia, currently in Double A, if he's not traded.
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Although the man, Michael McPherson, was later tried and jailed for eight years, the corrosive liquid did its dreadful work.
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His 3-point percentage that season – 17.1 percent – was strikingly dreadful.
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The story is dreadful and has affected hundreds of lives.
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There were hand-delivered telegrams when something dreadful happened in Baltimore and a pay phone a few blocks away at the store that sold the suntan oil and beach chairs.
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The polls remain dreadful for this joke of a president; the contradictions of Republicanism are being savagely exposed; the legislative agenda of an all-Republican government is careening.
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And the Indians turned the page on a dreadful weekend with their strongest offensive showing of the year.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'dreadful.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of dreadful
see 1dread
dreadful
Definition of dreadful
publishing
: a cheap and sensational (see sensational 2) story or periodical
Origin and Etymology of dreadful
see 1dread
DREADFUL Defined for English Language Learners
dreadful
playDefinition of dreadful for English Language Learners
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: very bad or unpleasant
DREADFUL Defined for Kids
dreadful
playDefinition of dreadful for Students
1 : causing fear a dreadful storm
2 : very unpleasant a dreadful cold
Learn More about dreadful
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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for dreadful Spanish Central: Translation of dreadful Nglish: Translation of dreadful for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of dreadful for Arabic speakers
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