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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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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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
And this speaks to the heart of the U.K.’s problem: the dreadful productivity record of its public sector and particularly the NHS.
—
Ian King, CNBC, 11 June 2025
There were plenty in the City Ground stands for the broadly dreadful 3-1 defeat to Senegal on Tuesday that would have agreed with him there.
—Nick Miller, New York Times, 11 June 2025
Boston also benefitted from a fantastic bounce back performance by starting pitcher Lucas Giolito, as well as a towering solo home run by shortstop Trevor Story, who is continuing to trend up after a dreadful month of May.
—Mac Cerullo, Hartford Courant, 11 June 2025
The coroner recorded Kraus’s death as misadventure, or an accident, describing the incident as a dreadful experience for the family.
—Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 10 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for dreadful
Ian King, CNBC, 11 June 2025
There were plenty in the City Ground stands for the broadly dreadful 3-1 defeat to Senegal on Tuesday that would have agreed with him there.
—Nick Miller, New York Times, 11 June 2025
Boston also benefitted from a fantastic bounce back performance by starting pitcher Lucas Giolito, as well as a towering solo home run by shortstop Trevor Story, who is continuing to trend up after a dreadful month of May.
—Mac Cerullo, Hartford Courant, 11 June 2025
The coroner recorded Kraus’s death as misadventure, or an accident, describing the incident as a dreadful experience for the family.
—Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 10 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for dreadful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dreadful
Adjective
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John Hoffman via Facebook In a statement released on Thursday night, the Hoffman family recounted the terrifying attack, saying they were woken up by someone impersonating an officer who was banging on their door at 2 a.m.—
Stephen Swanson,
CBS News,
20 June 2025
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Whether the result of drugs, alcohol or general hysteria, these terrifying men would enter trance-like states and charge into battle, ignoring severe injuries and collapsing into a feeble heap immediately after the fight concluded.—
Drew Gerber,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2025
Adjective
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What’s more, the Steelers failed to score a first-drive touchdown all season, were awful in the red zone, were awful on first down, and mostly awful in short yardage.—
Tribune Content Agency,
The Orlando Sentinel,
23 June 2025
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Outcomes for what’s referred to as ‘children in care’ remain unacceptably awful.—
Avivah Wittenberg-Cox,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2025
Adjective
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Remember the horrific pro-Western regime of the Shah with its 150,000+ political prisoners?—
Paul Bedard,
The Washington Examiner,
21 June 2025
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Even the hill opposite, which is free to attend, is noticeably quieter, although the horrific, endless rain will have something to do with that.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
20 June 2025
Adjective
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Moster has long been a target of intense scorn in the Orthodox world.—
Asaf Elia-Shalev,
Sun Sentinel,
24 June 2025
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There were times when the twin drama got too intense.—
Maris Kreizman,
Rolling Stone,
24 June 2025
Adjective
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Felipe Cardenas: Due to sheer numbers and commitment, Boca’s ultras and travelling band of die-hard fans lit up the tournament.—
The Athletic Staff,
New York Times,
28 June 2025
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Her Dolce & Gabbana wedding dress was a mermaid-style lace gown with sheer long sleeves and a high neckline.—
Stephanie Giang-Paunon , Emily Trainham , Janelle Ash,
FOXNews.com,
27 June 2025
Adjective
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And in addition to the swing itself, his overall approach at the plate has always been horrible.—
Tim Britton,
New York Times,
19 June 2025
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With guidance from Benny’s older sister and her campus-legend boyfriend, Benny and Carmen juggle horrible hookups, flavored vodka, and fake IDs.—
Peter White,
Deadline,
16 June 2025
Adjective
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The pair hit an ugly double-spinebuster on the Arabic announce table.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
28 June 2025
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The wild and ugly scenes saw rioters attack law enforcement with rocks and Molotov cocktails while others burned vehicles and other property.—
Michael Dorgan,
FOXNews.com,
28 June 2025
Adjective
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In the wake of the gruesome shootings of two Minnesota Democratic lawmakers and their spouses, Lee took to social media.—
S.E. Cupp,
New York Daily News,
19 June 2025
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So prepare for more gruesome kills, more gross-outs, more insight into how a society might actually look a generation after an unfathomable event.—
Jordan Hoffman,
EW.com,
18 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dreadful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dreadful. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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