Link Centre Dictionary

dreadful

dread·ful

UK/ˈdɹɛd.fl̩/ US/ˈdrɛdfʌl/ fairly common informal

adjective

1.

causing fear or dread or terror

  • “the awful war”
  • “an awful risk”
  • “dire news”
  • “a career or vengeance so direful that London was shocked”
  • “the dread presence of the headmaster”
  • “polio is no longer the dreaded disease it once was”
  • “a dreadful storm”
  • “a fearful howling”
  • “horrendous explosions shook the city”
  • “a terrible curse”
2.

exceptionally bad or displeasing

  • “atrocious taste”
  • “abominable workmanship”
  • “an awful voice”
  • “dreadful manners”
  • “a painful performance”
  • “terrible handwriting”
  • “an unspeakable odor came sweeping into the room”
3.

very unpleasant

Similar

Origin

From Middle English dredful, dredfull, dredeful (also dreful). By surface analysis, dread + -ful.

Phrases

  • penny dreadful

Related words

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.