DREADFULLY Synonyms: 84 Similar and Opposite Words

dreadfully

adverb

Definition of dreadfully

as in terribly

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

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 dreadfully Although Yamaha has been dreadfully slow about bringing its motorcycles to India, the R2 made its global debut there this week. — Yamaha, New Atlas, 3 Sep. 2026 Made from 100 percent cotton, this lightweight number is extremely soft and a great option for dreadfully hot days. — Caroline Hughes, Travel + Leisure, 12 Aug. 2026 Part slasher parody, part meta commentary on the structure of horror movies, and fully riotous, Behind the Mask is a dreadfully under-appreciated contribution to the subgenre that would have made for a terrific franchise. — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 9 June 2026 Especially early in its career, Hum was dreadfully misclassified as just another soft-to-loud/Smashing Pumpkins and Nirvana wannabe, and remained criminally under-appreciated for its heavy/stoner-friendly Midwestern shoegaze vibes long after its breakup. — Jonathan Cohen, SPIN, 16 May 2026 More than anything, this documentary is dreadfully dull. — Zack Sharf, Variety, 11 Mar. 2026 That’s another company with a stock that acts dreadfully. — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 25 Jan. 2026 Shin Godzilla, written and directed by Hideaki Anno of Neon Genesis Evangelion fame, comes the closest because it’s inspired by its own all-too-recent tragedy and feels dreadfully specific in its metaphor. — James Grebey, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2026 For 20 games, opponents often shot dreadfully from distance against Miami, whether the three-point attempts were heavily contested or not. — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 14 Dec. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for dreadfully

Adverb

Though Lock and Fleury aren’t Darnold and Kubiak, Wednesday night’s game demonstrated that Seattle is not interested in making terribly many overarching changes from last year’s general offensive approach.

— Andrew Destin, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
The other might be the terribly limited prospects of people like Miguelito living in Chivilcoy, a town outside Buenos Aires, where the two latter parts of the film is set.

— Roberto Prieto, Variety, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of terribly

Adverb

So Tesla was claiming to get awfully close to that, match its top speed of about 256 mph (412 km/h), and deliver 621 miles (1,000 km) of range for a tenth of the price.

— Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 14 Sep. 2026
Or else, things will start looking awfully familiar around here again on defense.

— Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of awfully

Adverb

Iryna Rybakova is horribly aware that the front line is inching toward Kramatorsk.

— Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2026
The show was also horribly paced, with way too many pointless instrumental spotlights that somehow managed to come across as both showy and lethargic at the same time.

— Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of horribly

Adverb

The less said about Bryan’s horrendously gauche fuchsia-and-gold dress with puffy armholes and halter neck the better.

— Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 31 July 2026
Too little regulation could allow the unleashing of devilish AI that might wipe us out or at least be horrendously destructive.

— Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026

Definition of horrendously

Adverb

In Omelet from the Other Side, ten-year-old Florence Fortescue’s life is disastrously upended when her parents move the family from an exciting city apartment to a boring farmhouse in the country.

— Caroline Carlson, Literary Hub, 1 Sep. 2026
However, enforcement – both statewide and nationally – is disastrously underresourced.

— David Michaels, The Conversation, 18 June 2026

Definition of disastrously

Adverb

Rhys gets to play Mayor Tom’s traumatic reactions to being stalked by a Sea Hag to great effect both comedically and horrifically.

— Joe Reid, Vulture, 8 Aug. 2026
The show must go on, however, and once the Bühnenstürmer (stage stormers) had been dealt with, hardy Ole carried on with his character’s near 20-minute monologue calmly, horrifically championing ultra-right political and cultural views.

— Matt Thompson, SPIN, 31 July 2026

Definition of horrifically

Adverb

But the Dolphins’ tackles graded out poorly in pass protection.

— Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 14 Sep. 2026
Done poorly, which is where many merchants are today, the rail is hardcoded, and every regulatory shift becomes an engineering project instead of a configuration change.

— Dimitri Akhrin, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of poorly

Browse Nearby Words

dreadful

dreadfully

dreadfulness

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Dreadfully.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dreadfully. Accessed 17 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of dreadfully

adverb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

watershed

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Popular in Wordplay

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Games & Quizzes