: very bad or unpleasant
Her performance was absolutely/simply dreadful.
She has a dreadful [=awful, terrible] cold.
Those children have such dreadful manners.
What dreadful weather!
a dreadful mistake/accident
a dreadful storm/scream
Cite this Entry
“Dreadful.” Merriam-Webster.com Simple Definition, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/simple/dreadful. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.
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