dreadful

adjective dread·ful \ ˈdred-fəl \

|Updated on: 9 Aug 2018

Examples: dreadful in a Sentence

Definition of dreadful

1 a : inspiring dread (see ²dread 1a) : causing great and oppressive fear

a dreadful attack

b : inspiring awe or reverence

2 : extremely bad, distasteful, unpleasant, or shocking

a dreadful idea

a dreadful performance

dreadful behavior

The food was absolutely dreadful.

3 : extreme

dreadful disorder

—

dreadfully

play \-f(ə-)lē\ adverb

—

dreadfulness

play \-fəl-nəs\ noun

See dreadful defined for English-language learners

See dreadful defined for kids

Examples of dreadful in a Sentence

Her performance was absolutely dreadful.
Those children have such dreadful manners.

Recent Examples of dreadful from the Web

Jaguars:Blake Bortles, 26, is suddenly the grizzled vet ahead of Tanner Lee, a raw rookie, and Cody Kessler, who projects as a career backup but played well in the face of dreadful circumstances in Cleveland two years ago. 17.

— nate davis, USA TODAY, "Ranking NFL backup QBs by team: Who has best contingency plan?," 27 June 2018
Lille are hoping to rebuild in the upcoming season after a dreadful year which saw them only narrowly avoid relegation in May.

— afp, chicagotribune.com, "Former Chelsea striker Remy signs with Lille," 13 July 2018
Ours came out rock solid on the perimeter with gooey, raw dough inside — a dreadful exclamation point capping a menu of mediocrity.

— mark kurlyandchik, Detroit Free Press, "Restaurant Review: Detroit's Empire Kitchen & Cocktails has no clothes," 12 July 2018
Given the gift of facing the dreadful Baltimore Orioles for a second time this season — thanks to a torrential rainstorm May 15 that postponed the game by nearly two months — Pivetta didn’t allow a hit until the sixth inning.

— scott lauber, Philly.com, "Nick Pivetta picks up much-needed win in Phillies' victory over Orioles," 12 July 2018
At 24-65, this year’s Orioles are actually a few games behind where that dreadful 1988 team was through 89 games.

— noah trister, The Seattle Times, "Dreadful Orioles bringing back memories of ’88," 9 July 2018
The Diamondbacks were the immediate beneficiaries of L.A.’s dreadful start.

— tom verducci, SI.com, "Nine Innings: How Bryce Harper Is Trying to Revive His Season, What We Learned in the First Half and More," 9 July 2018
If the thought of a 26-minute nap sounds dreadful, Bustle also cited a study from Science of People that suggests a 90-minute nap is the sweet spot for your siesta.

— brooke bunce, Teen Vogue, "This Is How Long You Should Nap," 6 July 2018
Videos allow Native Americans to address these questions in personal ways, and take stock of the dreadful loss of life, land and culture that came with European incursion into the continent.

— philip kennicott, kansascity, "St. Louis’ Gateway Arch emerges with new name, skeptical view of western expansion," 3 July 2018

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.