1
as in terrifying
causing fear
a dreadful hurricane
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in awful
causing intense displeasure, disgust, or resentment
a dreadful performance of a beautiful piece of music
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3
as in horrific
extremely disturbing or repellent
dreadful news of a crime wave in the neighborhood
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4
as in intense
extreme in degree, power, or effect
the dreadful heat of the desert
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5
as in sheer
having no exceptions or restrictions
made a dreadful mess of his first marriage
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dreadful
The decision comes after two dreadful performances by the Chargers’ offense in consecutive one-and-done playoff losses.
—
Los Angeles Times Staff, Los Angeles Times, 13 Jan. 2026
That understanding doesn’t take the sting out of the dreadful reality of losing in bunches.
—Thomas Drance, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2026
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ dreadful 2–5 stretch in October and November.
—Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 11 Jan. 2026
It’s been a dreadful first week of 2026 for the local hackerama.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dreadful
Los Angeles Times Staff, Los Angeles Times, 13 Jan. 2026
That understanding doesn’t take the sting out of the dreadful reality of losing in bunches.
—Thomas Drance, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2026
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ dreadful 2–5 stretch in October and November.
—Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 11 Jan. 2026
It’s been a dreadful first week of 2026 for the local hackerama.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dreadful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dreadful
Adjective
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After reviewing footage from monitoring cameras set up in the child’s room, the father, who has not been publicly identified, saw a terrifying incident of violence against his son, which had taken place two days earlier, according to authorities.—
Muri Assunção,
New York Daily News,
6 Feb. 2026
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Many mothers in the Twin Cities marched the streets in the wake of the murders and terrifying kidnappings by ICE, and many mothers organized in other ways, moving food and money to food shelves, families sheltering-in-place, and rent relief funds.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Some offer a peek at my encounters backstage while waiting for the curtain to come up on me, while others pull back the curtain to share the raw truth about one of the most awful experiences in my private life.—
Danielle Parker,
CBS News,
3 Feb. 2026
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And finally… The death of seven PAOK supporters in a road accident last week was an unspeakably awful tragedy, and one that will hang over the club for a long time.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
2 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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With the partial restoration of internet access, people inside the country and others who have left in recent days shared videos and stories with ABC News that shows the horrific nature of the regime's suppression of the protests.—
Somayeh Malekian,
ABC News,
27 Jan. 2026
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Syria’s horrific civil war killed more than 500,000 people over a 14-year period starting in 2011.—
Paul Iddon,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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This looming impasse between baseball and its players’ union stands to make for some intense labor negotiations.—
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
4 Feb. 2026
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Corporate succession has been fraught at Disney — and the subject of intense speculation across Hollywood in recent years.—
James Rainey,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The sheer pervasiveness of lopsided household labor suggests that this problem cannot be explained by a few individual bad actors.—
Jelena Kecmanovic,
CNN Money,
7 Feb. 2026
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But most of all, there was sheer, unadulterated delight.—
Flora Stubbs,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Miami is now 27-26, still mired in play-in territory, entering today’s matinee at horrible Washington.—
Greg Cote
February 8,
Miami Herald,
8 Feb. 2026
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A lot of things have happened with regard to that horrible situation the last couple of hours.—
Kathy Tulumello,
AZCentral.com,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Featuring the good, the bad and the ugly, ‘Look of the Week’ is a regular series dedicated to unpacking the most talked about outfit of the last seven days.—
Leah Dolan,
CNN Money,
6 Feb. 2026
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And if his squad’s current mini-break produces a similar result — Missouri entered the holiday break with an ugly Braggin’ Rights loss to Illinois but came out of it with an upset of Florida — Gates would no doubt be pleased.—
Ally Schiepp,
Kansas City Star,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Throughout the last two days, Ivey centered himself in faith and gratitude — two grounding principles for a player whose career was derailed in January 2025 by a gruesome leg injury.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Feb. 2026
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The 16th century eponymous Danish princess (voiced by Mana Ashida) loses her father, King Amleth (Masachika Ichimura), to a gruesome betrayal.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dreadful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dreadful. Accessed 10 Feb. 2026.
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