dreadful

adjective

ˈdred-fəl How to pronounce dreadful (audio)
Definition of dreadfulnext
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

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 One of the most dreadful packing pain points is the anxiety of whether everything will actually fit in your suitcase, which, thankfully, my Away Bigger Carry-on has eliminated. — Julia Morlino, Travel + Leisure, 1 Aug. 2026 But his teams didn’t appear ready to play while getting off to dreadful starts in each of the past three seasons. — Dan Duggan, New York Times, 28 July 2026 The implications were simply so dreadful that the officials just gave up. — Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 25 July 2026 The novel’s climax—a sequence defined by reality-shattering magical spectacle—is narrated by one character to another over FaceTime, a dreadful decision that deflates the entire story. — Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 20 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for dreadful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dreadful
  1. terrifying
  2. awful
  3. horrific
  4. intense
  5. sheer
  6. horrible
  7. ugly
  8. gruesome
Adjective
  • Two Fort Worth school district students were placed on the wrong bus home this week, creating what one parent described as a terrifying situation.
    — Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Aug. 2026
  • The immersive doc captures the duality of an extreme lifestyle with the euphoric highs of intercepting a tornado to the terrifying lows of being overtaken by one inside their vehicle as Timmer pushes his mind and body to the limit.
    — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of terrifying
Adjective
  • But that team’s awful 2026 season meant any shock switch was a non-starter.
    — Alex Kalinauckas, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Kavulich believes that at some point, the situation is going to turn so awful that either Cuban leaders will be forced to change, or the United States will intervene.
    — Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of awful
Adjective
  • Russia is slowly edging towards its territorial goal of taking the Donbas – albeit through rendering the remaining ground held by Ukraine uninhabitable through horrific drone strikes on all signs of civilian and military life.
    — Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Built in 1928 by Gordon Kaufmann, and a gift from Edward Doheny to his son Ned and his family, the stately Tudor Revival was home to a horrific tragedy.
    — Amanda Karkoutly, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of horrific
Adjective
  • The retail offering was oversubscribed 5,500 times, underscoring intense investor demand for the profitable company, which shipped 5,500 humanoids in 2025.
    — John Koetsier, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2026
  • That points to the conclusion that the pain for Main Street is likely to remain intense for the foreseeable future, even as Wall Street continues to prosper.
    — Matt Peterson, CNBC, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of intense
Adjective
  • There was sheer joy — Warren Barton once instructed Keegan to perform press-ups on the touchline during a game at St James’ for calling a throw-in the wrong way.
    — Michael Walker, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Just across the street from the bus stop … lurks a deep drainage pool at the bottom of a sheer 12-foot drop from the street.
    — AJ Willingham, AJC.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of sheer
Adjective
  • As horrible news stories go, few could compare with what happened on a Greek holiday island Monday.
    — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass’ terrible, horrible, no good, very bad reelection campaign just got worse after Wednesday night’s debate in Sherman Oaks.
    — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of horrible
Adjective
  • The animation is truly ugly, the characters moving at the framerate of a PowerPoint and looking less like the animals they’re supposed to be than weird hybrid troll creatures.
    — Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 21 Aug. 2026
  • The wrong paint color, outdated furniture, and yes, even an ugly light fixture could be aging your home and (ugh) majorly cramping its style.
    — Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of ugly
Adjective
  • Fatima Hayward of Blue Finch Films called Zevenbergen a genuine new voice in genre filmmaking, saying his blend of body horror and campy Nickelodeon-style nostalgia has resulted in a gruesome yet heartfelt ode to cinema.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 19 Aug. 2026
  • The ensuing encounter, probably the most gruesome cinematic dental scene since Marathon Man, will scare you into scheduling a deep cleaning post-haste.
    — Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of gruesome

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Cite this Entry

“Dreadful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dreadful. Accessed 25 Aug. 2026.

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