as in terrors
something or someone that causes fear or dread especially without reason
speaking in public is a perennial dread for many people
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of dreads
Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2026
The courtroom doors cracked open, and a Black woman with long dreads walked in.
—Miami Herald, 31 Jan. 2026
Also, there is this human white boy with dreads, Spider, a Tarzan type who hangs around the Sullys with the help of an oxygen mask.
—Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 18 Dec. 2025
Other introspective angles are explored during Mariano’s audiences with his friend the Pope (Rufin Doh Zeyenouin), a serene Black man with a head crowned by a bundle of silver dreads, who tools around the Vatican on a motorbike.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 27 Aug. 2025
Noun
But the have-funs and the have-existential-dreads of the hockey community are every bit as clear.
—Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2026
The courtroom doors cracked open, and a Black woman with long dreads walked in.
—Miami Herald, 31 Jan. 2026
Also, there is this human white boy with dreads, Spider, a Tarzan type who hangs around the Sullys with the help of an oxygen mask.
—Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 18 Dec. 2025
Other introspective angles are explored during Mariano’s audiences with his friend the Pope (Rufin Doh Zeyenouin), a serene Black man with a head crowned by a bundle of silver dreads, who tools around the Vatican on a motorbike.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 27 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dreads
Noun
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What could be worse than these twin terrors?—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
8 Feb. 2026
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Almost every one of Arsenal’s title-winning seasons in living memory has had a moment where the terrors set in.—
Amy Lawrence,
New York Times,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Now, Wall Street fears that software can do it all by itself.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
13 Feb. 2026
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Without the correct attributes — competitiveness, mindset, IQ, internal drive — Donovan fears a young player could flounder in Chicago.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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While spending several thousand dollars on a Scotch was not unheard of, this was the first time an American whiskey company offered a rare blend that rivaled other spirits from around the world.—
Melinda Salchert,
Southern Living,
15 Feb. 2026
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Inside, a long mahogany counter glows beneath warm gold walls, where bartenders move with precision through a selection of classics and inventive cocktails built on bold spirits and house infusions.—
Melinda Sheckells,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
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As a small rural settlement is swiftly and ruthlessly stripped bare by the twin plagues of a diphtheria epidemic and spreading wildfires, the film eventually descends into a near-literal hellscape, though even when pandemonium takes over on screen, Van Dusen’s formal control never wavers.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
13 Feb. 2026
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But the add-on to lock devices separated from their owner’s watch is a major plus point, especially as the smartphone theft pandemic plagues users worldwide.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
16 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The earliest depictions of slavery were already crawling with the terrible proceedings the Gothic tends to depict, from bloody whippings to family curses to the wrathful wraiths of the slain enslaved.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 Feb. 2026
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Gamers will know Brok as the beloved weapons dealer with an unrivaled artistry for creative, foul-mouthed curses.—
Joe Otterson,
Variety,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
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In that final part of the cycle—the writing part—were torments, perhaps even tortures, but good things happened.—
Jake Lundberg,
The Atlantic,
19 Feb. 2026
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As a poet, publisher, and public intellectual, Ferlinghetti spent the rest of his career resisting the very torments Judge Horn said haunted the post-war world.—
Gioia Woods,
Literary Hub,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dreads.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dreads. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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