Dreadful: meaning, definitions and examples
๐ฑ
dreadful
[ หdrษdfสl ]
feeling or causing great fear or suffering
Extremely bad, unpleasant, or poor; causing dread; causing fear or terror; inspiring awe or reverence; causing great suffering or distress.
Synonyms
awful, dreaded, frightful, horrible, terrible.
Which Synonym Should You Choose?
| Word | Description / Examples |
|---|---|
| dreadful |
Used to describe something that causes intense fear or disgust. Can also be used to express how bad something is.
|
| terrible |
Commonly used to describe something very bad or unpleasant. It can also mean causing fear or dread.
|
| horrible |
Used to describe something very unpleasant, shocking, or causing horror.
|
| awful |
Often used to emphasize the severity of something bad or unpleasant. Can also mean very impressive or daunting in an older context, but this usage is less common now.
|
| frightful |
Usually used to describe something very shocking or alarming. It can also mean very bad, though this usage is somewhat old-fashioned.
|
| dreaded |
Used to describe something that is greatly feared or anticipated with unease.
|
Examples of usage
- It was a dreadful experience that I never want to go through again.
- The dreadful news left everyone in shock.
- The dreadful sight of the accident haunted her for weeks.
- The war brought dreadful consequences to the country.
- The dreadful conditions in the prison were inhumane.
Translations
Translations of the word "dreadful" in other languages:
๐ต๐น terrรญvel
๐ฎ๐ณ เคญเคฏเคพเคจเค
๐ฉ๐ช schrecklich
๐ฎ๐ฉ mengerikan
๐บ๐ฆ ะถะฐั ะปะธะฒะธะน
๐ต๐ฑ straszny
๐ฏ๐ต ใฒใฉใ
๐ซ๐ท รฉpouvantable
๐ช๐ธ terrible
๐น๐ท korkunรง
๐ฐ๐ท ๋์ฐํ
๐ธ๐ฆ ู ุฑูุน
๐จ๐ฟ straลกnรฝ
๐ธ๐ฐ straลกnรฝ
๐จ๐ณ ๅฏๆ็
๐ธ๐ฎ grozljiv
๐ฎ๐ธ hrรฆรฐilegt
๐ฐ๐ฟ าะพัาัะฝัััั
๐ฌ๐ช แกแแจแแแแแ
๐ฆ๐ฟ dษhลษtli
๐ฒ๐ฝ terrible
Etymology
The word 'dreadful' originated from the Middle English word 'dredful', which was a combination of 'dred' meaning fear and 'ful' meaning full of. Over time, the word evolved to its current form, retaining its meaning of causing great fear or suffering. It has been used in English literature and language for centuries to describe something extremely bad, unpleasant, or causing dread. The word has maintained its relevance and usage in modern English, continuing to convey the strong emotions of fear, terror, and suffering.
See also: dread, dreaded, dreadfully, dreadfulness.