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
Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Feb. 2026
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
Noun
Mirror images except for the fact that Jelani has his hair in dreads, while Ari goes with the more retro-look afro.
—Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Feb. 2026
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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Once market fears ease and if fundamentals remain intact, that could provide a signal to see what to do next.—
Paulina Likos,
CNBC,
23 Feb. 2026
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Probasco fears the clash with the Pentagon creates a false binary between safety and national security.—
Deni Ellis Béchard,
Scientific American,
21 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The dragon is said to scare away bad spirits and bring good luck.—
Staff report,
Daily News,
22 Feb. 2026
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American celebrity chef Guy Fieri and Colombian-American actress Sofía Vergara made appearances as guests sampled bites from top local and visiting chefs, explored wines, spirits and craft beers, and enjoyed live music, cooking demonstrations and product giveaways.—
Connie Ogle,
Miami Herald,
21 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The Bible states that as a result, God unleashed 10 plagues against Egypt and its people.—
Seth Jacobson,
wickedlocal.com,
19 Feb. 2026
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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
Noun
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Indeed, various curses and slurs could be heard shouted from the audience at London's Royal Festival Hall, even during some segments broadcast to audiences in England and abroad.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 Feb. 2026
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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
Noun
-
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 1 Mar. 2026.
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