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
Before that, Smith’s play was dreadful after passing for 5,962 yards, 28 touchdowns, and 36 interceptions in four seasons for the Jets.
—
Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 11 Mar. 2026
Aston Martin’s misery continued after a dreadful preseason marked by car problems, with both drivers — Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll — failing to complete race distance.
—Sahil Kapur, NBC news, 8 Mar. 2026
The prime candidate is Oregon State’s partner in Pac-12 survival, Washington State, where coach David Riley’s tenure has taken a turn for the dreadful.
—Jon Wilner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Mar. 2026
Following that dreadful first night, Sibelius pulled the concerto’s original publication, revised and rewrote it, and a year later the new version was first heard in Berlin, conducted by none other than Richard Strauss.
—Luis Palomares, Miami Herald, 27 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dreadful
Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 11 Mar. 2026
Aston Martin’s misery continued after a dreadful preseason marked by car problems, with both drivers — Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll — failing to complete race distance.
—Sahil Kapur, NBC news, 8 Mar. 2026
The prime candidate is Oregon State’s partner in Pac-12 survival, Washington State, where coach David Riley’s tenure has taken a turn for the dreadful.
—Jon Wilner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Mar. 2026
Following that dreadful first night, Sibelius pulled the concerto’s original publication, revised and rewrote it, and a year later the new version was first heard in Berlin, conducted by none other than Richard Strauss.
—Luis Palomares, Miami Herald, 27 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dreadful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dreadful
Adjective
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The fascinating — and perhaps slightly terrifying — part of this particular season is that both outcomes seem equally possible.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
21 Mar. 2026
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Scary is subjective, but for many people, HHN is terrifying.—
Eve Chen,
USA Today,
21 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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In the 1970s-1980s, all the agricultural talk in the Mississippi Delta was whether the boll weevil would be terrible or just awful this coming fall.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
19 Mar. 2026
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After a week of awful basketball, Minnesota led the NBA’s reigning champions – and favorites to repeat – by nine in the third quarter Sunday in Oklahoma City.—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
16 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Over Your Dead Body is not for the faint of heart, but give or take a rape threat that crosses the line into smug sadism without quite seeming to realize it, the violence lands as more comically cartoonish than horrific.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
15 Mar. 2026
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The series is about the horrific shock of unexpected sorrow, how death can divide families (or bring people together) and how navigating pain can alter perspectives and paths forward.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
13 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The strike caused an intense fire at the hospital, with footage from local television showing rescue crews combing through the wreckage with flashlights late into the night as firefighters struggled to extinguish the blaze.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
19 Mar. 2026
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However, the constant tension on my hair can have my curls feeling dry and in need of intense moisture.—
Catharine Malzahn,
Glamour,
18 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Due to the underwater belt’s sheer size, the monumental construction revealed a community dependent on whaling, as by-products became commodities to be exchanged and traded between these local groups.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
22 Mar. 2026
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The sheer volume of material seemed unusual, the inmate noted.—
Julie K. Brown,
Miami Herald,
21 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Arsenal, like Chelsea and City, have that horrible Wednesday-Saturday-Tuesday schedule to contend with.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
13 Mar. 2026
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At this point, however, this news is neither insignificant nor horrible.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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This game started ugly, but the Jayhawks built a 38-18 halftime lead on the back of their defense.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
21 Mar. 2026
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Pushing too much hostility between team members or pushing Anthony too hard to be the peacekeeper could easily create an ugly atmosphere that spoils the vibe.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
20 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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After a meeting with one of them goes horribly wrong, Devlin and her publicist Sylvie, another a victim of Hollywood’s censure, find revenge offers a unique albeit gruesome ingredient for Glob’s products.—
Paula L. Woods,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Mar. 2026
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Detective Alex Cross and FBI Agent Kayla Craig (Tal) led a new joint mission to protect Durand and find the killer, who left behind gruesome clues.—
Jackie Strause,
HollywoodReporter,
18 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dreadful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dreadful. Accessed 22 Mar. 2026.
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