as in terrifying
causing fear
every ship on the Spanish Main was terrified of running into the dread pirate
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in worry
suspicion or fear of future harm or misfortune
the dread felt by people awaiting bad news
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dread
Julia Korn, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025
Hollywood writers often dread getting notes from studio executives about their scripts.
—James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 22 Aug. 2025
Kiana Murden, Vogue, 9 July 2025
Inside the country, optimism and dread wrestle for the soul of a people.
—Nazanin Boniadi, Time, 17 June 2025
Rowan Jacobsen, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
To say much more would be to spoil the twisted twists of the plot, in which the director finally applies his affinity for mounting dread to a bona fide horror movie — albeit one characterized by the off-kilter black humor that had become his speciality by that point.
—A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dread
Adjective
No wonder so many people dread it.
—Julia Korn, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025
Hollywood writers often dread getting notes from studio executives about their scripts.
—James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 22 Aug. 2025
Noun
The issue then, is that the mineral UV filters zinc oxide and titanium dioxide that create that shield are naturally white powders known to deliver the white cast many of us so dread.
—Kiana Murden, Vogue, 9 July 2025
Inside the country, optimism and dread wrestle for the soul of a people.
—Nazanin Boniadi, Time, 17 June 2025
Verb
That dread has blossomed by midnight, when the room suddenly goes dark.
—Rowan Jacobsen, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
To say much more would be to spoil the twisted twists of the plot, in which the director finally applies his affinity for mounting dread to a bona fide horror movie — albeit one characterized by the off-kilter black humor that had become his speciality by that point.
—A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dread
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dread
Adjective
-
In the del Toro version, the creature played by Jacob Elordi is not terrifying, the director told Entertainment Weekly in September before the film debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
Entertainment Weekly,
21 Oct. 2025
-
The line occurs when the film’s protagonist, Ripley (Weaver), emerges from an elevator in a giant metal bodysuit, ready to fight a terrifying alien to save a young child.—
Toria Sheffield,
PEOPLE,
19 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Shanahan, the head coach in Washington from 2010 to 2013, once grilled Paulsen on offensive tackle protections out of worry the tight end might have to play emergency tackle in a preseason game.—
Jourdan Rodrigue,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
-
Those worries resulted in a European bank stock selloff last week, although the sector quickly rebounded.—
Tasmin Lockwood,
CNBC,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The result came after Milei’s party suffered a landslide defeat to the Peronist opposition in a September local vote in the Buenos Aires province, an outcome that sparked a selloff of the peso amid investor fears over the president’s standing with voters.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
27 Oct. 2025
-
Harrison expressed deep fears that the White House could take an ax to CPB and public media more broadly.—
David Folkenflik,
NPR,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
That mixture of terror and safety is the secret sauce for Mike Jubie, creator of the Headless Horseman Hayrides and Haunted Houses in New York’s historic Hudson Valley.—
Isabel Rosales,
CNN Money,
25 Oct. 2025
-
On the other, a vision of what life would be like without the terror group.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Even more frightening for journalists is the idea that generations are growing up without the habit of following news, particularly for their own communities.—
David Bauder,
Fortune,
21 Oct. 2025
-
Witch-burning, frightening folklore, and centuries of war and bloodshed have imparted an unsettling ambience in destinations like Edinburgh.—
Nicole Kliest,
Vogue,
18 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
That driving tension and anxiety are largely thanks to the team of artisans, which included composer Volker Bertelmann, editor Kirk Baxter and sound designer Paul Ottosson, who worked closely behind the scenes on their respective crafts to bring it together.—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
25 Oct. 2025
-
That sense of anxiety is present throughout the book, most vividly in a wide shot of a group of cheerleaders rehearsing in a gym.—
Rachel Monroe,
New Yorker,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The Cowboys’ defense is bad and Denver’s is good, but all the same, a long dry spell or a continuation of the penalty plague will not end well this weekend.—
Joe Nguyen,
Denver Post,
26 Oct. 2025
-
Production stopped for five weeks, but that was only one plague.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The truth can be far more haunting than any scary story.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 Oct. 2025
-
The movie adaptation was terrifying, but the creepy atmospheric tension in the novel is even scarier.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
22 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dread.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dread. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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