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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
My fifth and final Super Bowl, in 2014, outdoors at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., was a dreadful Seattle Seahawks’ drubbing of the Denver Broncos.
—
Harvey Araton, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2025
Just how much longer will American parents, their kids, business leaders and the political class tolerate the dreadful performance of our public schools?
—Stephen Moore, Boston Herald, 5 Feb. 2025
San Antonio also unloaded its worst recent mistake, a dreadful contract extension for Zach Collins that would have paid him $18 million next year.
—John Hollinger, The Athletic, 12 Feb. 2025
For the Giants, the seats are hotter than ever for head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen, who return despite last year’s dreadful 3-14 campaign.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 11 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dreadful
Harvey Araton, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2025
Just how much longer will American parents, their kids, business leaders and the political class tolerate the dreadful performance of our public schools?
—Stephen Moore, Boston Herald, 5 Feb. 2025
San Antonio also unloaded its worst recent mistake, a dreadful contract extension for Zach Collins that would have paid him $18 million next year.
—John Hollinger, The Athletic, 12 Feb. 2025
For the Giants, the seats are hotter than ever for head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen, who return despite last year’s dreadful 3-14 campaign.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 11 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dreadful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dreadful
Adjective
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Despite the terrifying incidinet, only eight passengers were on board at the time, and no one sustained serious injuries.—
Amber Corrine,
VIBE.com,
14 Mar. 2025
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And yet somehow, this horror film about a family whose new home is haunted by a spirit never runs out of gas, managing to resonate as a powerful domestic drama and as a terrifying story about grief and love.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The Fairfield County corridor is infamously awful, according to Potamkin Hyundai, with the Stamford stretch recently ranking as the number one busiest highway segment in the entire country.—
Staff report,
Hartford Courant,
10 Mar. 2025
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But Ovechkin has been scoring 50 goals (a season) for an awful long time now.—
Homero De la Fuente,
CNN,
9 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Now The horrific atrocities experienced by children in Sudan will leave life-long scars - if the children are lucky enough to survive the hostilities, famine, diseases, and other risks.—
Dr. Ewelina U. Ochab,
Forbes,
16 Mar. 2025
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But now the Trump administration’s lack of empathy threatens other children and families facing such horrific diagnoses.—
Dayna Copeland,
The Mercury News,
15 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The intense gravitational pull from the black hole rips the two stars apart, capturing one star into a close orbit around it, notes the center.—
Bruce Dorminey,
Forbes,
8 Mar. 2025
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This film transitions between moments of intense governmental and political drama, and moments of sympathetic, emotional anguish with the Hernandez family.—
Addie Morfoot,
Variety,
8 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The individual cores may not be as powerful as those on the Mac Studio with M4 Max, but the sheer number of CPU and GPU cores will deliver top performance in the most demanding applications.—
PCMAG,
PCMAG,
11 Mar. 2025
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While the sheer number of krill in the Southern Ocean means the species is unlikely to face an acute threat to its survival in the near term, Savoca is quick to point out that numbers are no guarantee of success.—
Gabe Castro-Root,
Smithsonian Magazine,
11 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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This is really happening and these horrible things are happening and that this person doesn't want to be happening.—
Patrick Gomez,
EW.com,
14 Mar. 2025
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The tech giant had a horrible week, off nearly 11% in the period despite Friday’s relief bounce.—
Pia Singh,
CNBC,
14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The 24-year-old displayed all of the good, the bad and the ugly in a 25-game stretch when called up to the majors last season when starting catcher Gabriel Moreno was injured.—
Chuck Murr,
Forbes,
12 Mar. 2025
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Imagine the classic tale The Ugly Duckling, by Hans Christian Andersen — only, in this version, the ugly duckling doesn’t mature into a beautiful swan.—
Matt Kracht,
People.com,
11 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The 6-foot-3 senior suffered a gruesome injury in Green Mountain’s 3A quarterfinal win over Severance on Nov. 22.—
Matt Schubert,
The Denver Post,
14 Mar. 2025
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Who was Charles Manson? Manson was a cult leader in the late 1960s known for orchestrating gruesome murders in Los Angeles.—
William Lambers,
Newsweek,
8 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dreadful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dreadful. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.
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