DREADFUL Synonyms: 308 Similar and Opposite Words

dreadful

adjective

ˈdred-fəl

Definition of dreadful

as in terrifying

causing fear a dreadful hurricane

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in awful

causing intense displeasure, disgust, or resentment a dreadful performance of a beautiful piece of music

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in horrific

extremely disturbing or repellent dreadful news of a crime wave in the neighborhood

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in intense

extreme in degree, power, or effect the dreadful heat of the desert

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of dreadful What happens next at first feels like a dreadful narrative misstep, seemingly reinforcing the idea that cutting oneself off from others can save them from life’s travails. — Jay Weissberg, Variety, 7 Sep. 2026 Even the dreadful summer, when thousands of dead alewives washed ashore, couldn’t stop the O’Rourke kids from frolicking in Lake Michigan. — Chicago Tribune, 22 Aug. 2026 The Liberty came off a dreadful 2-20 Wubble season in 2020 in the days of the COVID-19 pandemic. — Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 7 Aug. 2026 The very end seems to indicate Mahomes will find extra motivation beyond returning from an injury after the Chiefs’ dreadful 6-11 season. — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 6 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for dreadful

Recent Examples of Synonyms for dreadful

Adjective

He’s crafted a propulsive, simultaneously terrifying and hilarious thrill ride that showcases both his cinematic chops and perverse sense of humor.

— Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 16 Sep. 2026
Compounding fears was a terrifying warning from a former AI executive last week that AI could end civilization within a decade and the tech companies aren’t doing enough about it.

— S.E. Cupp, New York Daily News, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of terrifying

Adjective

The Colts got whacked by the Ravens, and their new-look defense was awful.

— Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 20 Sep. 2026
In one respect, John Harbaugh seems to have brought winning football back to New York New Jersey Stadium; conversely, the Cowboys’ defense is sufficiently awful to make even the lowliest opponent look like a contender.

— Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of awful

Adjective

Thompson, then 23, and Rocco James Surace, then 30, beat Ivester with chains, burned her with cigarettes and assaulted her with a chair leg during the horrific ordeal inside the Sunny Isles Motel, 16375 Biscayne Blvd.

— Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 14 Sep. 2026
Indications of this are when Covid starts to overwhelm the hospital and Maya is in the center of this horrific pandemic.

— Pete Hammond, Deadline, 13 Sep. 2026

Definition of horrific

Adjective

Ukrainian officials are expecting another winter of intense Russian strikes on energy infrastructure, a tactic Moscow has employed each winter of the full-scale invasion in a bid to freeze the country into submission.

— David Brennan, ABC News, 15 Sep. 2026
In his research for both projects, his mood boards filled up with references to periods of intense cultural flowering cut short—Weimar Germany, 1970s Iran, Cuba in the ’50s, and New York City before the AIDS crisis.

— Sean Santiago, Architectural Digest, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of intense

Adjective

Recommended by Our Editors The sheer aura of this sandbox, and your agile tools for exploring it, almost make the rest of Control Resonant feel perfunctory by comparison.

— Jordan Minor, PC Magazine, 18 Sep. 2026
The skirt also featured a ribbon waist tie and a sheer, tulle underlayer visible beneath the thigh-high slit.

— Chanel Vargas, InStyle, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of sheer

Adjective

Not many filmmakers can create something where moments as ugly as Billy’s scatological lectures coexist so elegantly with moments of honest longing and tragedy (and, in one or two moments, tentative hope).

— Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 17 Sep. 2026
The hate being lobbed at Sheeran is also an unpleasant reminder of the extreme and ugly bullying tactics of the online left.

— Sean Woods, Rolling Stone, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of ugly

Adjective

On a more altruistic front, Leighton also stands ready to end a gruesome pandemic in another world, turning up with vaccines and medications like a multidimensional DoorDash service.

— Scott Tobias, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2026
Where does that leave the gruesome project that binds them together?

— Guy Lodge, Variety, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of gruesome

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“Dreadful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dreadful. Accessed 23 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of dreadful

adjective

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