dreadfulness

noun

Definition of dreadfulnessnext
as in horror
the quality of inspiring intense dread or dismay the dreadfulness of an oncoming avalanche can scarcely be described

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for dreadfulness
  1. horror
  2. atrocity
  3. awfulness
  4. ghastliness
  5. hideousness
  6. gruesomeness
Noun
  • Morganti pointed to Spanish-language horror, a genre that was once treated as niche, as another area where Amazon has seen the market expand.
    — Anna Marie de la Fuente, Variety, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Neon plans a 2027 theatrical release under the Creative Commons license for the open-source horror film based on a fictional secretive organization that keeps supernatural items and other harmful entities away from the public.
    — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of horror
Noun
  • To Lose Their Citizenship Abraham noted during a Q&A at NYFF that much of the film overlaps with previous reporting and that atrocities in Gaza have been documented for years.
    — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Eritrean forces fought alongside Ethiopia’s federal military during the previous war and were accused of atrocities against Tigrayan civilians.
    — Alemayehu Fentaw Weldemariam, The Conversation, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of atrocity
Noun
  • In a world so full of dread and awfulness, why not take a moment to read anonymous petty literary gossip on the internet?
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Apr. 2026
  • The relative excitement around the Rockies having arrived in San Diego at 6-6 is a reaction based on their relative awfulness.
    — Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Apr. 2026
Definition of awfulness
Noun
  • No amount of gore or ghastliness is off limits for the series, produced by horror champions Blumhouse, as Nicole Kidman's titular medical examiner pores over the remains of the dead.
    — Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 10 Mar. 2026
Definition of ghastliness
Noun
  • What makes your own skin crawl isn’t just the hideousness of the violence but the unblinking matter-of-factness with which DaCosta films it.
    — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 16 Jan. 2026
Definition of hideousness
Noun
  • Words cannot even begin to adequately express the utter gruesomeness of this crime.
    — Paula Wethington, CBS News, 8 Sep. 2026
  • The result is depressingly rizzless for something based on a game famous for its gruesomeness.
    — Alison Willmore, Vulture, 6 May 2026
Definition of gruesomeness
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Dreadfulness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dreadfulness. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

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