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
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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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dreadful
That Knicks flurry kicked off a truly dreadful second quarter for the Celtics, who also surrendered runs of 12-0 and 17-0 while being outplayed in nearly every facet.
—
Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 25 Oct. 2025
His team acquitted itself well following a dreadful start, pulling within three in the second half before losing 67-60 after trailing 17-0.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Oct. 2025
In Kleinschmidt’s lightly disguised description published in the journal American Imago, Roth is depicted as a southern playwright suffering from dreadful guilt over leaving his wife—this, of course, a strikingly different version than Roth’s own obsessively repetitive account.
—Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2025
Galaxy have been decent after their dreadful start to the season, but Minnesota has much more to play for on Saturday.
—Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 18 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dreadful
Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 25 Oct. 2025
His team acquitted itself well following a dreadful start, pulling within three in the second half before losing 67-60 after trailing 17-0.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Oct. 2025
In Kleinschmidt’s lightly disguised description published in the journal American Imago, Roth is depicted as a southern playwright suffering from dreadful guilt over leaving his wife—this, of course, a strikingly different version than Roth’s own obsessively repetitive account.
—Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2025
Galaxy have been decent after their dreadful start to the season, but Minnesota has much more to play for on Saturday.
—Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 18 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dreadful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dreadful
Adjective
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Kim's direction is bold and stylish, and the supernatural scenes are terrifying, embodying the finest that Korean horror has to offer.—
Katie Rife,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 Oct. 2025
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By the time it was all set up, the whole cold, disintegrating place was threaded with lights and lines, flickering everywhere, black and red, the sheer quantity somehow terrifying and embracing at once.—
Blair Braverman,
Outside,
28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Hurricane Melissa’s devastation is the awful alchemy created by the unique combination of unstoppable gusts, seawater that is forced inland and deluge that pours out of the sky, all interacting with the landscape and human lives the storm found in its path.—
Meghan Bartels,
Scientific American,
29 Oct. 2025
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These limits exist because of the history of the government’s awful record with race.—
Andrew Quinio,
Oc Register,
29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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However, watching the slow and steady movement of a horrific storm on a collision course with my beloved land over the last several days was agonizing.—
Grace White,
Essence,
29 Oct. 2025
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According to police, the horrific incident began when the child’s mother, who was out of town on Friday, asked her father to check on her daughter as she was being cared for by the nanny.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The family dynamics of the show hadn’t been seen in any other franchise and made for some strong alliances against other members of the cast, as well as intense drama.—
Jenni Fink,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
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In an intense Instagram post Thursday, her 44th, the mother of three included various family album style photos over the last few years, plus some words of wisdom.—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The sheer number of open Power 4 jobs is causing an issue for administrators, as there are only so many top names to fill these high-profile positions.—
Jordan Sigler,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Oct. 2025
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Styled by Molly Dickson, the simple yet formal footwear aligned with Sweeney’s spring 2026 Stella McCartney look, a form-fitting white minidress with sheer ruched fabric wrapped around a structured corset base with boning and exaggerated hips.—
Jaden Thompson,
Footwear News,
28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The New York Jets’ Sunday began with a horrible loss, as legendary center Nick Mangold passed away after a long battle with kidney disease.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
26 Oct. 2025
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Šilovs did, however, look horrible in the shootout.—
Josh Yohe,
New York Times,
26 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The long-range scoring of Sandell and Thomas provided the night’s most memorable moments, but Mateer helped pace the offense after an ugly 99-yard first half, racking up 252 yards in the second.—
David Ubben,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
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Advertisement Ugly sentiments deserve ugly art, though Jude takes a nuanced stance on this matter.—
Andy Crump,
Time,
31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Halloween was significantly more graphic than many of its predecessors, and Zombie said the gruesome violence was a deliberate choice and that it wasn’t supposed to be easy viewing.—
Jessica Sager,
PEOPLE,
24 Oct. 2025
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The five-minute mash-up rapidly intercuts scenes of happy domesticity (a loving mother, kids in face paint eating popcorn in front of the tube, teens affectionately goofing around) with gruesome murders committed by a beautiful little boy.—
David Wingrave,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dreadful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dreadful. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
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