1
as in terrifying
causing fear
a dreadful hurricane
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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
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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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dreadful
The stakes were high — glory for the winners and a dreadful season at least ends with a very notable trophy and a Champions League place, ignominy for the losers; a worst season in living memory, no solace, no silver lining, just humiliation.
—
Tim Spiers, New York Times, 22 May 2025
Champions League prestige and money secured By winning the competition, Tottenham qualifies for the continent’s top club competition, the Champions League, next season – despite how dreadful the club’s recent domestic performances have been.
—David Close, CNN Money, 22 May 2025
The upshot is that their fans have instead sat through more than a decade of dreadful baseball, when maybe a committed rebuild early on in the process might have cut that stretch of agony in half or less.
—Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 22 May 2025
Even after replacing Hyde, the Birds have continued their dreadful play, with their chances of making the playoffs having dwindled to less than 1%.
—Paul Bledsoe, Baltimore Sun, 21 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for dreadful
Tim Spiers, New York Times, 22 May 2025
Champions League prestige and money secured By winning the competition, Tottenham qualifies for the continent’s top club competition, the Champions League, next season – despite how dreadful the club’s recent domestic performances have been.
—David Close, CNN Money, 22 May 2025
The upshot is that their fans have instead sat through more than a decade of dreadful baseball, when maybe a committed rebuild early on in the process might have cut that stretch of agony in half or less.
—Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 22 May 2025
Even after replacing Hyde, the Birds have continued their dreadful play, with their chances of making the playoffs having dwindled to less than 1%.
—Paul Bledsoe, Baltimore Sun, 21 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for dreadful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dreadful
Adjective
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More: Ukraine drone attack shows familiar-looking drones can be terrifying weapons How does the Pentagon, which spends nearly a trillion dollars a year on defense, have such a vulnerability?—
Tom Vanden Brook,
USA Today,
8 June 2025
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An apocalyptic wasteland ruled by savage bands of outlaws or a horny computer dork's bedroom — which is more terrifying?—
Jordan Hoffman,
EW.com,
6 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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That this horrific upheaval comes care of Lucy’s work is the real kicker.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
9 June 2025
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This is what Qasem Hassan had feared from the start—that the horrific violence inflicted on Israelis on October 7th would be used to justify a war without limits, dehumanizing all Palestinians.—
Eyal Press,
New Yorker,
9 June 2025
Adjective
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Stark images of burning vehicles, rioters spraying painting cars with expletives and the intense back and forth between President Donald Trump and California Gov. Gavin Newsom over how local law enforcement is handling the problems have been among the topics of conversation.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
12 June 2025
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Healthy people can still experience short-term symptoms like fever, intense headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea.—
Rachel Raposas,
People.com,
12 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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Even with the horrible start the Red Sox still nearly came all the way back, twice drawing to within one run, but the club couldn’t get over the hump.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
3 June 2025
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We were made aware of this horrible activity by Priscilla Olivarez from ILRC, at our annual conference Convening 2025, held in San Antonio.—
Billal Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 June 2025
Adjective
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Tech wealth here looks even less appealing than that of the Roy family (the expensively beige décor is even uglier).—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
4 June 2025
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During the negotiation of USMCA in 2018, the current trade agreement between the United States, Mexico and Canada that Trump managed during his first term, conversations between the President and GM occasionally turned ugly.—
Jackie Charniga,
USA Today,
3 June 2025
Adjective
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Six decades later, Hamas would engage in a gruesome competition with Fatah to outdo one another with terrorist attacks during the 1990s and early 2000s.—
Sean Durns,
The Washington Examiner,
6 June 2025
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But Trump and Epstein’s association has been out in the open for nearly a quarter century; nineties-era footage of the gruesome twosome together at Mar-a-Lago, leering at a group of young cheerleaders, has been circulating since at least 2019.—
Jessica Winter,
New Yorker,
6 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dreadful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dreadful. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.
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