Transcription
-
- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
-
- [dred-fuh l]
- /ˈdrɛd fəl/
- /ˈdred.fəl/
-
- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
-
- [dred-fuh l]
- /ˈdrɛd fəl/
Definitions of dreadful word
- adjective dreadful causing great dread, fear, or terror; terrible: a dreadful storm. 1
- adjective dreadful inspiring awe or reverence. 1
- adjective dreadful extremely bad, unpleasant, or ugly: dreadful cooking; a dreadful hat. 1
- noun dreadful penny dreadful. 1
- noun dreadful a periodical given to highly sensational matter. 1
- noun dreadful Causing or involving great suffering, fear, or unhappiness; extremely bad or serious. 1
Information block about the term
Origin of dreadful
First appearance:
before 1175 One of the 8% oldest English words
First recorded in 1175-1225, dreadful is from the Middle English word dredful. See dread, -ful
Historical Comparancy
Parts of speech for Dreadful
noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
dreadful popularity
A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 79% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".
dreadful usage trend in Literature
This diagram is provided by Google Ngram ViewerSynonyms for dreadful
adj dreadful
- atrocious — If you describe something as atrocious, you are emphasizing that its quality is very bad.
- horrific — causing horror.
- ghastly — shockingly frightful or dreadful; horrible: a ghastly murder.
- horrendous — shockingly dreadful; horrible: a horrendous crime.
- abominable — Something that is abominable is very unpleasant or bad.
adjective dreadful
- outrageous — of the nature of or involving gross injury or wrong: an outrageous slander.
- vile — wretchedly bad: a vile humor.
- frightening — to make afraid or fearful; throw into a fright; terrify; scare.
Antonyms for dreadful
adj dreadful
- inoffensive — causing no harm, trouble, or annoyance: a mild, inoffensive man.
- delightful — If you describe something or someone as delightful, you mean they are very pleasant.
- pleasant — pleasing, agreeable, or enjoyable; giving pleasure: pleasant news.
- pleasing — giving pleasure; agreeable; gratifying: a pleasing performance.
- wonderful — excellent; great; marvelous: We all had a wonderful weekend.
adjective dreadful
- lovely — charmingly or exquisitely beautiful: a lovely flower.
Top questions with dreadful
- what does penny dreadful mean?
- what is penny dreadful?
- what is a penny dreadful?
- who is penny dreadful?
- who plays dorian gray in penny dreadful?
- when does penny dreadful start?
- what is penny dreadful about?
- why is it called penny dreadful?
- who is dorian gray in penny dreadful?
- where to watch penny dreadful?
- where can i watch penny dreadful?
- what does dreadful mean?
- when does penny dreadful start on showtime?
- who was penny dreadful?
- when is the new season of penny dreadful?
See also
Matching words
- Words starting with d
- Words starting with dr
- Words starting with dre
- Words starting with drea
- Words starting with dread
- Words starting with dreadf
- Words starting with dreadfu
- Words starting with dreadful