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dreadful - Meaning and Examples

Meaning of 'dreadful' (Webster Dictionary)

1 . Dreadful [ a.]
- Full of dread or terror; fearful.
- Inspiring dread; impressing great fear; fearful; terrible; as, a dreadful storm.
- Inspiring awe or reverence; awful.

Meaning of 'dreadful' (Princeton's WordNet)

1 . dreadful [ s]
Meaning (1):
- causing fear or dread or terror
Example in sentence:
  • a career or vengeance so direful that London was shocked;
  • a dreadful storm;
  • a fearful howling;
  • a terrible curse;
  • an awful risk;
  • dire news;
  • horrendous explosions shook the city;
  • polio is no longer the dreaded disease it once was;
  • the awful war;
  • the dread presence of the headmaster
Meaning (2):
- exceptionally bad or displeasing
Example in sentence:
  • a painful performance;
  • abominable workmanship;
  • an awful voice;
  • an unspeakable odor came sweeping into the room;
  • atrocious taste;
  • dreadful manners;
  • terrible handwriting
Meaning (3):
- extremely disagreeable and unpleasant
Example in sentence:
  • don't go out, the weather is dreadful

Nearby Words:

dread dread-bolted dreadable dreaded dreader dreadfully dreadfulness dreading dreadingly dreadless

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