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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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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as in horror
the quality of inspiring intense dread or dismay
the dreadfulness of an oncoming avalanche can scarcely be described
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dreadful
Alex Tabet, NBC news, 20 May 2025
New York Giants Despite a dreadful 3-14 season that nearly cost general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll their jobs, the Giants have the hardest schedule in football.
—Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 15 May 2025
To avoid getting the jitters or experiencing that dreadful caffeine crash, stick to no more than four cups a day.
—Maria Berentzen, Vogue, 13 June 2025
And this speaks to the heart of the U.K.’s problem: the dreadful productivity record of its public sector and particularly the NHS.
—Ian King, CNBC, 11 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for dreadful
Adjective
How Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur found themselves in this final despite dreadful performances this season is a mystery to many.
—Alex Tabet, NBC news, 20 May 2025
New York Giants Despite a dreadful 3-14 season that nearly cost general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll their jobs, the Giants have the hardest schedule in football.
—Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 15 May 2025
To avoid getting the jitters or experiencing that dreadful caffeine crash, stick to no more than four cups a day.
—Maria Berentzen, Vogue, 13 June 2025
And this speaks to the heart of the U.K.’s problem: the dreadful productivity record of its public sector and particularly the NHS.
—Ian King, CNBC, 11 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for dreadful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dreadful
Adjective
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For Bertram, whose family winery has roots deep in the terraced vineyards of the valley, the night was a blur of frantic decisions and terrifying uncertainty.—
Christopher Elliott,
Forbes.com,
13 July 2025
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But this is still grand blockbuster filmmaking: The scene where bombs explode across Gotham is as memorable and terrifying as anything in the series.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
11 July 2025
Adjective
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This has been an awful process—a frantic rush to meet an artificial deadline that has tested every limit of this institution.—
Aliss Higham,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 July 2025
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However, the idea that Gunn was going to make an awful Superman movie does not match up with his history of comic book productions across Marvel and DC.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
7 July 2025
Adjective
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Family recounts parents' efforts to save children The family of the two children who died in the flooding recounted in a GoFundMe page the horrific moment floodwaters swept the young siblings away and the desperate attempt by their parents to save their lives.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
11 July 2025
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California homeowner’s insurance premiums were already rising before the horrific Southern California wildfires in January.—
Scott Cohn,
CNBC,
11 July 2025
Adjective
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The finish is long and intense, with lingering orchard fruits and spices.—
Joseph V Micallef,
Forbes.com,
16 July 2025
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That’s due in part to the fluidity and intense candor of each member’s writing.—
Leah Lu,
Rolling Stone,
15 July 2025
Adjective
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The sheer variety of equipment, the pace of change and rising customer demands call for something better: a knowledge capture process that’s baked into the daily workflow.—
Thomas Cottereau,
Forbes.com,
9 July 2025
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Some may prove useful in the long run and others illusory, but for now they are statistically swamped by the sheer amount of renewable power coming online.—
Bill McKibben,
New Yorker,
9 July 2025
Noun
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In the span of three weeks, in prime time and on the big screen, Americans witnessed two vivid interpretations of the horrors of nuclear war: one explosive and terrifying, the other corrosive and elegiac.—
Tom Nichols,
The Atlantic,
10 July 2025
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One of the most important episodes of the first season sees the contestants voting to leave, then choosing to come back after experiencing the horrors of living with debt.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
10 July 2025
Adjective
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Maybe the news reports and images trigger your feelings around a horrible experience at a camp, a personal loss of a child, or even just a loss of feeling safe and in control of the world, said Hurlbert.—
Madeline Holcombe,
CNN Money,
11 July 2025
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Getting your car stolen is a horrible experience, but there are ways to deter theft and steps to follow if your vehicle is stolen.—
Charles Singh,
AZCentral.com,
11 July 2025
Adjective
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Confirmation bias rears its ugly head, and the person convinces themselves that AI sentience is at hand.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
10 July 2025
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Even with the other guys' admonitions not to, under any circumstances, be themselves, Dee and Charlie's improbable success in charming these scions of the Philly upper crust had the guys — and us — both baffled and anxiously awaiting an ugly twist.—
Dennis Perkins,
EW.com,
10 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dreadful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dreadful. Accessed 22 Jul. 2025.
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