1
as in terrifying
causing fear
a dreadful hurricane
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dreadful
The coroner recorded Kraus’s death as misadventure, or an accident, describing the incident as a dreadful experience for the family.
—
Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 10 June 2025
Crawford could eliminate the team’s dreadful CF platoon (Brandon Marsh and Johan Rojas) if his unbelievable reverse splits carry over to the big leagues.
—Anthony Stitt, Forbes.com, 9 June 2025
His opposition in Stuart Skinner, meanwhile, has either been fantastic or downright dreadful.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 3 June 2025
Instead, his ascension is directly attached to his ability to help rejuvenate a dreadful offense threatening to compromise a promising season.
—Vahe Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 4 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for dreadful
Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 10 June 2025
Crawford could eliminate the team’s dreadful CF platoon (Brandon Marsh and Johan Rojas) if his unbelievable reverse splits carry over to the big leagues.
—Anthony Stitt, Forbes.com, 9 June 2025
His opposition in Stuart Skinner, meanwhile, has either been fantastic or downright dreadful.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 3 June 2025
Instead, his ascension is directly attached to his ability to help rejuvenate a dreadful offense threatening to compromise a promising season.
—Vahe Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 4 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for dreadful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dreadful
Adjective
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Whether the result of drugs, alcohol or general hysteria, these terrifying men would enter trance-like states and charge into battle, ignoring severe injuries and collapsing into a feeble heap immediately after the fight concluded.—
Drew Gerber,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2025
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John Hoffman via Facebook In a statement released on Thursday night, the Hoffman family recounted the terrifying attack, saying they were woken up by someone impersonating an officer who was banging on their door at 2 a.m.—
Stephen Swanson,
CBS News,
20 June 2025
Adjective
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Even so, some of Lucy’s pronouncements are so truly awful that a blunt snort of laughter is the only response.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
13 June 2025
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Romano moved back into the closer role since the loss of Alvarado, and has alternated awesome and awful performances - his ERA is an unsightly 7.40 to date.—
Tony Blengino,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2025
Adjective
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Remember the horrific pro-Western regime of the Shah with its 150,000+ political prisoners?—
Paul Bedard,
The Washington Examiner,
21 June 2025
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Hogg’s political genesis began as a senior at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland when the horrific shooting occurred in 2018.—
Maximo Bratter,
The Orlando Sentinel,
20 June 2025
Adjective
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Moster has long been a target of intense scorn in the Orthodox world.—
Asaf Elia-Shalev,
Sun Sentinel,
24 June 2025
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Beijing is also working to draw Europe closer as the continent faces intense pressure from Washington; for example, China has lifted sanctions on members of the European Parliament and dangled other concessions ahead of an EU-Chinese summit scheduled for July 2025.—
Oriana Skylar Mastro,
Foreign Affairs,
24 June 2025
Adjective
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The difference, however, was in the sheer volume of players who left on a temporary basis.—
Gregg Evans,
New York Times,
13 June 2025
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Nevertheless, the analysts flagged the sheer volume and tone of the content as a genuine officer safety concern.—
Dell Cameron,
Wired News,
13 June 2025
Adjective
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And in addition to the swing itself, his overall approach at the plate has always been horrible.—
Tim Britton,
New York Times,
19 June 2025
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With guidance from Benny’s older sister and her campus-legend boyfriend, Benny and Carmen juggle horrible hookups, flavored vodka, and fake IDs.—
Peter White,
Deadline,
16 June 2025
Adjective
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My goodness, these men wanted to win the U.S. Open with every bit of their being, to finally win a major championship and make this ugly, rainy day worth the battles behind them.—
Brody Miller,
New York Times,
16 June 2025
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The beautiful game deserves better than to be played against a backdrop of ugly anti-human rights policies.—
MSNBC Newsweek,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 June 2025
Adjective
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In the wake of the gruesome shootings of two Minnesota Democratic lawmakers and their spouses, Lee took to social media.—
S.E. Cupp,
New York Daily News,
19 June 2025
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So prepare for more gruesome kills, more gross-outs, more insight into how a society might actually look a generation after an unfathomable event.—
Jordan Hoffman,
EW.com,
18 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dreadful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dreadful. Accessed 28 Jun. 2025.
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