1
as in terrifying
causing fear
a dreadful hurricane
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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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in horrific
extremely disturbing or repellent
dreadful news of a crime wave in the neighborhood
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in intense
extreme in degree, power, or effect
the dreadful heat of the desert
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 Parisian side had a 2-0 lead after 10 minutes thanks to two dreadful errors from the Real Madrid defence.
—
Joseph O'Sullivan, Forbes.com, 9 July 2025
There were stretches of offensive ineptitude, stretches of dreadful pitching and, really, a lot of nights when they simply got shellacked.
—Zack Meisel, New York Times, 9 July 2025
Kyiv endured the biggest ever attack overnight into Friday, with 13 dreadful hours of explosions and buzzing overhead as Russia launched a record 539 drones towards the Ukrainian capital and 11 cruise and ballistic missiles, according to the country’s air force.
—Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 4 July 2025
England played a dreadful short corner in their loss to France.
—Michael Cox, New York Times, 6 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for dreadful
Joseph O'Sullivan, Forbes.com, 9 July 2025
There were stretches of offensive ineptitude, stretches of dreadful pitching and, really, a lot of nights when they simply got shellacked.
—Zack Meisel, New York Times, 9 July 2025
Kyiv endured the biggest ever attack overnight into Friday, with 13 dreadful hours of explosions and buzzing overhead as Russia launched a record 539 drones towards the Ukrainian capital and 11 cruise and ballistic missiles, according to the country’s air force.
—Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 4 July 2025
England played a dreadful short corner in their loss to France.
—Michael Cox, New York Times, 6 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for dreadful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dreadful
Adjective
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In the meantime, Brandy has been reflecting on the terrifying experience.—
Wendy Grossman Kantor,
People.com,
25 July 2025
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But a week later, what had been named the Dragon Bravo Fire hit a patch of fuel and took on a terrifying character in new gusts of wind, surrounding overwhelmed firefighters on a helipad and heading with unstoppable force to the south.—
Tom Zoellner,
AZCentral.com,
25 July 2025
Adjective
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That said, The Magician of Tiger Castle did initially start out as a YA romcom about Princess Tullia escaping her betrothal to the neighboring kingdom’s awful prince.—
Natalie Zutter
August 1,
Literary Hub,
1 Aug. 2025
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The first breach was awful: humiliating for the women who had to see their images passed around, and grim given the number of men making fun of those images with such open, gleeful cruelty.—
Faith Hill,
The Atlantic,
30 July 2025
Adjective
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But the first lady and I are here in Texas to express the love and support and the anguish of our entire nation in the aftermath of this really horrific and deadly flood.—
Emily Mae Czachor,
CBS News,
11 July 2025
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California homeowner’s insurance premiums were already rising before the horrific Southern California wildfires in January.—
Scott Cohn,
CNBC,
11 July 2025
Adjective
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In Naomi Alderman's contemporary work, the recognizable world is all but the same, except for the shocking revelation that teenage girls can now conduct electricity to cause intense physical pain or death to others.—
Robert English,
EW.com,
30 July 2025
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Sports, especially intense ones like rafting, invoke our competitive spirit.—
Shani Harmon,
Forbes.com,
30 July 2025
Adjective
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We are wrapped in a mesmerizing combination of soft forest and sheer stone.—
Roger Naylor,
AZCentral.com,
1 Aug. 2025
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But a continuous thread was a Daphne Blake-esque purple; in pea coats, sheer dresses, billowing blouses, and a monochromatic heels and stockings combo.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
1 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Because of Denise Gough's human frailty as a woman destroyed by her own ambition and Kyle Soller's cowardice in the face of a horrible truth.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
EW.com,
23 July 2025
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Soak up the gall of losing, absorb the horrible information, feel it to the full, go there—and then rebound, with superb elasticity.—
James Parker,
The Atlantic,
22 July 2025
Adjective
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In February, the feud between way and actor Marlon Wayans reached an ugly head when the rapper published a series of cruel and vindictive social media posts targeting Wayans' transgender son, Kai.—
Ryan Coleman,
EW.com,
4 Aug. 2025
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As Vallejos pulled ahead thanks to his striking combinations and power, which left Silva looking to goad him into an ugly slugfest, which Vallejos mostly avoided sticking to his game plan of using combinations to take advantage of Silva’s lack of defense.—
Trent Reinsmith,
Forbes.com,
2 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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But the gruesome truth remains — more than 120 are people are dead, including children.—
Bea L. Hines,
Miami Herald,
11 July 2025
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Other all-original haunted houses will include Jason Universe, which takes guests back to the summer camp where, one Friday the 13th, the gruesome legend was born.—
Tom Tapp,
Deadline,
10 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dreadful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dreadful. Accessed 8 Aug. 2025.
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