DREADFUL Synonyms: 308 Similar and Opposite Words

dreadful

adjective

ˈdred-fəl

Definition of dreadful

as in terrifying

causing fear a dreadful hurricane

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in awful

causing intense displeasure, disgust, or resentment a dreadful performance of a beautiful piece of music

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in horrific

extremely disturbing or repellent dreadful news of a crime wave in the neighborhood

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in intense

extreme in degree, power, or effect the dreadful heat of the desert

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of dreadful But many people still live with the clinical aversion, which can be dreadful, and at times deadly. — Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 6 Aug. 2026 The very end seems to indicate Mahomes will find extra motivation beyond returning from an injury after the Chiefs’ dreadful 6-11 season. — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 6 Aug. 2026 One of the most dreadful packing pain points is the anxiety of whether everything will actually fit in your suitcase, which, thankfully, my Away Bigger Carry-on has eliminated. — Julia Morlino, Travel + Leisure, 1 Aug. 2026 The implications were simply so dreadful that the officials just gave up. — Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 25 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for dreadful

Recent Examples of Synonyms for dreadful

Adjective

In the supernatural horror film, a young man wishes for Nikki to love him more than anything, but the wish quickly takes a terrifying turn.

— Denis Akbari, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
Naomi Scott gives one of the best performances of 2024 as a pop star who becomes attached to the smile demon, sending her down a terrifying roller coaster to one of the most memorable horror-movie endings in years.

— Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of terrifying

Adjective

Cyber stocks late last year and into 2026 were being lumped into the awful enterprise software trade.

— Paulina Likos, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026
In 2024, Burke’s squad dragged itself off the mat after an awful (yet at the time, typical) start to the season to go unbeaten in 12 of 13 matches down the stretch and narrowly miss the playoffs.

— Kels Dayton, Hartford Courant, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of awful

Adjective

The chilling new detail about Jesus Acosta’s horrific spree was revealed at the 31-year-old ex-con’s arraignment in Bronx Criminal Court late Sunday, where he was ordered held without bail for the two cold-blooded shootings.

— John Annese, New York Daily News, 31 Aug. 2026
Then there is the horrific crash on the McHenry County side of the Fox River, where on July 25 Alan Telmini and Magdalena Jablonska, both from Des Plaines, were cruising the river south of the McHenry Dam.

— Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of horrific

Adjective

Motion Applied brings experience from motorsport, where power electronics face rapid load changes and intense operating conditions.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 2 Sep. 2026
As if this weren’t enough for one day, Venus will also make its debut in the secretive and smoldering sign of Scorpio, where the love planet trades light-hearted flirtation for something deeper and way more intense.

— Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of intense

Adjective

The facts of his biography, no matter how outrageous, could not possibly explain the sheer derangement of his output.

— Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2026
This means investor scrutiny will extend beyond the sheer scale of AI investment to encompass debt burdens, capital costs, and return timelines.

— , CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of sheer

Adjective

Anne Hathaway is a leftist, woke, horrible choice for DAYS OF THUNDER NASCAR audience who are MAGA.

— James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 31 Aug. 2026
These two rubber bands in our throat are affected by everything from hormones to psychology to a bad day to a horrible night’s sleep to the sniffles or whatever.

— Marissa R. Moss, Rolling Stone, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of horrible

Adjective

The seventh-round rookie threw an ugly interception in the first quarter, while backpedaling and off his back foot.

— Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 29 Aug. 2026
Several leading Democrats, including Senator Elissa Slotkin of Michigan and House Speaker Hakeem Jeffries, issued statements denouncing Piker’s ugly warning to the Jews as a barely veiled anti-Semitic threat.

— Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of ugly

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“Dreadful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dreadful. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of dreadful

adjective

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