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
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
The flowering dogwood The flowering dogwood (Corhus florida) is another great choice for the landscape as an alternative to the dreadful Bradford pear.
—
Campbell Vaughn, USA Today, 3 Apr. 2026
Yet the Kings have had dreadful starts in each of the three dates on this seven-game homestand.
—Andrew Knoll, Daily News, 3 Apr. 2026
Brandon Lowe homered twice and fellow Pirates newcomer Ryan O'Hearn also went deep, but Pittsburgh's pitching and defense were dreadful in a disappointing start.
—CBS News, 27 Mar. 2026
But keep in mind that only Atlanta and Charlotte have fewer games against tanking/dreadful teams than Miami does, which means the Heat might need to win at least five of its seven other games to have a legitimate chance of climbing out of the play-in.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dreadful
Campbell Vaughn, USA Today, 3 Apr. 2026
Yet the Kings have had dreadful starts in each of the three dates on this seven-game homestand.
—Andrew Knoll, Daily News, 3 Apr. 2026
Brandon Lowe homered twice and fellow Pirates newcomer Ryan O'Hearn also went deep, but Pittsburgh's pitching and defense were dreadful in a disappointing start.
—CBS News, 27 Mar. 2026
But keep in mind that only Atlanta and Charlotte have fewer games against tanking/dreadful teams than Miami does, which means the Heat might need to win at least five of its seven other games to have a legitimate chance of climbing out of the play-in.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dreadful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dreadful
Adjective
-
Some of his acts are dangerous or terrifying.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
12 Apr. 2026
-
In 1972, Ann-Margret fell 22 feet from a stage during a performance — a terrifying moment that could have ended her career.—
Stephanie Giang-Paunon,
FOXNews.com,
11 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The only way to pull out of an awful season-opening stretch is one at-bat, one pitch, one win at a time.—
Jen McCaffrey,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Still, outside of two games, the offense has been awful.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
There are people like Les Wexner and Leon Black who have allegedly had such horrific abuse and there has not been any investigations.—
NBC news,
NBC news,
5 Apr. 2026
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Because their firstborn son had just died, and so that was horrific.—
Marc Weingarten,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Finally, consistent physical activity is more important than intense exercise.—
Kaitlin Sullivan,
NBC news,
8 Apr. 2026
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The songs on the last few Bon Iver albums often sound like excerpts from a longer dialogue, at turns offhanded and intense, among collaborators.—
Mitch Therieau,
Pitchfork,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Lahav black ballgown with sheer black veil and beaded appliqués throughout.—
Alex Apatoff,
PEOPLE,
11 Apr. 2026
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And the sheer scale is unprecedented.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Zack James’ shifty drumming hammers out a drum ’n’ bass redux like a panicked heartbeat while Carney Hemler’s bass lurches in slow motion, replicating the gut drop of a horrible realization.—
Nina Corcoran,
Pitchfork,
3 Apr. 2026
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Fendelman captured that horrible silence in the doc, punctuated by Littlejohn’s niece screaming, feral and raw.—
Brenna Ehrlich,
Rolling Stone,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
While not the pastor of the United States, Trump surely represents the face of the United States on a daily basis, and that face is an ugly one.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Apr. 2026
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Featuring the good, the bad and the ugly, ‘Look of the Week’ is a regular series dedicated to unpacking the most talked about outfit of the last seven days.—
Leah Dolan,
CNN Money,
9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Dahl’s books are fanciful and imaginative, but also dark, cynical, and mean (and, unfortunately, often reflected his real-life ugliness), spinning stories in which gruesome and unpleasant fates befell rotten kids, and adults were frequently selfish, cruel, and not to be trusted.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
10 Apr. 2026
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The evidence at trial included a gruesome video showing Stanfier’s body in the trunk of a car, which had been shared with a woman Jordan-Brooks reportedly met while working at Kentucky Fried Chicken in Emeryville years earlier, court records show.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
8 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dreadful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dreadful. Accessed 12 Apr. 2026.
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