Synonyms of dread

dread 1 of 3

adjective

as in terrifying

causing fear

every ship on the Spanish Main was terrified of running into the dread pirate

Synonyms & Similar Words

• terrifying
• frightening
• scary
• formidable
• horrible
• terrible
• fearful
• intimidating
• alarming
• dreadful
• horrifying
• shocking
• eerie
• startling
• ghastly
• frightful
• creepy
• forbidding
• dire
• fearsome
• direful
• trying
• horrendous
• spine-chilling
• redoubtable
• troubling
• gruesome
• unnerving
• threatening
• disturbing
• hair-raising
• demoralizing
• daunting
• discouraging
• disquieting
• disconcerting
• hideous
• distressing
• perturbing
• weird
• nightmarish
• dismaying
• horrid
• monstrous
• macabre
• grisly
• awful
• appalling
• bone-chilling
• atrocious

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• reassuring
• comforting
• relaxing
• soothing
• calming
• inviting
• consoling
• tranquilizing
• quieting
• lulling
• nonthreatening
• pacifying
• nonintimidating

dread

2 of 3

noun

1

as in worry

suspicion or fear of future harm or misfortune

the dread felt by people awaiting bad news

Synonyms & Similar Words

• worry
• anxiety
• apprehension
• uncertainty
• concern
• fearfulness
• unease
• apprehensiveness
• foreboding
• misgiving
• alarm
• suspense
• doubt
• uneasiness
• distress
• agitation
• disquiet
• mistrust
• funk
• disquietude
• perturbation
• solicitude
• anxiousness
• pessimism
• wariness
• disturbance
• scruple
• defeatism
• presentiment
• premonition
• suspiciousness
• foreknowledge
• incertitude
• presage

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• anticipation
• excitement
• hope
• confidence
• hopefulness
• optimism
• sanguinity

2

as in fear

the emotion experienced in the presence or threat of danger

we were filled with dread when we saw the rapids we would be rafting down

Synonyms & Similar Words

• fear
• anxiety
• fearfulness
• panic
• terror
• trepidation
• horror
• fright
• worry
• scare
• dismay
• alarm
• concern
• pang
• nervousness
• phobia
• apprehension
• creeps
• agitation
• twinge
• jitters
• consternation
• disquiet
• funk
• perturbation
• qualm
• timidity
• willies
• cowardice
• discomposure
• timorousness
• faintheartedness

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• confidence
• assurance
• boldness
• aplomb
• self-confidence
• courage
• daring
• fearlessness
• fortitude
• bravery
• self-assurance
• valor
• gallantry
• intrepidity
• stoutness
• hardihood
• nerve
• audacity
• guts
• intrepidness
• courageousness
• dauntlessness
• doughtiness

3

as in terror

something or someone that causes fear or dread especially without reason

speaking in public is a perennial dread for many people

Synonyms & Similar Words

• terror
• plague
• torment
• curse
• bugbear
• enemy
• bugaboo
• ogre
• spirit
• demon
• bête noire
• specter
• horror
• bogey
• monster
• fright
• black beast
• apparition
• ghost
• phantom
• wraith
• hobgoblin
• horrible
• phantasm
• incubus
• spook
• banshee
• ghoul
• imp
• bane
• bogeyman
• devil
• scourge
• poltergeist
• abomination
• shade
• fiend
• monstrosity
• anathema

dread

3 of 3

verb

as in to fear

Related Words

• fear
• apprehend
• perceive
• caution
• preview
• descry
• alert
• forewarn
• envision
• visualize
• discern
• envisage
• predict
• foresee
• foreshadow
• prophesy
• divine
• foretoken
• forecast
• presage
• prefigure
• anticipate
• foretell
• prognosticate
• augur
• prevision
• foreknow
• forefeel

Synonym Chooser

How is the word dread distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of dread are alarm, fear, fright, panic, terror, and trepidation. While all these words mean "painful agitation in the presence or anticipation of danger," dread usually adds the idea of intense reluctance to face or meet a person or situation and suggests aversion as well as anxiety.

faced the meeting with dread

When is alarm a more appropriate choice than dread?

In some situations, the words alarm and dread are roughly equivalent. However, alarm suggests a sudden and intense awareness of immediate danger.

view the situation with alarm

When could fear be used to replace dread?

The meanings of fear and dread largely overlap; however, fear is the most general term and implies anxiety and usually loss of courage.

fear of the unknown

In what contexts can fright take the place of dread?

Although the words fright and dread have much in common, fright implies the shock of sudden, startling fear.

fright at being awakened suddenly

Where would panic be a reasonable alternative to dread?

The synonyms panic and dread are sometimes interchangeable, but panic implies unreasoning and overmastering fear causing hysterical activity.

the news caused widespread panic

When might terror be a better fit than dread?

While in some cases nearly identical to dread, terror implies the most extreme degree of fear.

immobilized with terror

How do trepidation and dread relate to one another?

Trepidation adds to dread the implications of timidity, trembling, and hesitation.

raised the subject with trepidation

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of dread

Adjective

This transformation is coming on fast—and fueling anxiety, dread, and confusion among workers of all ages and industries. —Reece Rogers, Wired News, 13 May 2026

After three seasons of almost nothing but dread and sorrow, the NBA’s most woebegone franchise, for generations, finally had a moment to celebrate. —David Aldridge, New York Times, 11 May 2026

Noun

Anchored by a mesmerizing lead performance from Cemre Paksoy, the film blends scam-call paranoia, erotic fixation, and existential dread into a vision that’s difficult to shake even in a trailer that’s barely two minutes long. —Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 11 June 2026

Each of the cult members went knowingly, eating a container of applesauce spiked with phenobarbital, and Applewhite did too, though the movie stages his suicide as a catharsis of dread. —Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 11 June 2026

Verb

When Sunday dread is more than dread Most people experience Sunday scaries occasionally, especially during stressful stretches at work. —Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Kansas City Star, 27 May 2026

Blackpool boast the highest tally of promotions via this route with six, while Sheffield United fans must dread qualification after 10 unsuccessful attempts to go up, a record. —Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 23 May 2026