1
as in terrifying
causing fear
a dreadful hurricane
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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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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of dreadful
Upon returning to the rotation in 2024, Buehler was dreadful, pitching to a 5.38 ERA with a 1.55 WHIP over 16 starts.
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Scott Thompson, Fox News, 23 Dec. 2024
Third down offense: Denver was dreadful on third down.
—Ryan McFadden, The Denver Post, 16 Dec. 2024
Recognition of something vague but dreadful enveloped me.
—John Sergio, Newsweek, 15 Dec. 2024
Zoom out: Local sports fans are ready to put this dreadful year behind them.
—Justin Kaufmann, Axios, 9 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for dreadful 
Scott Thompson, Fox News, 23 Dec. 2024
Third down offense: Denver was dreadful on third down.
—Ryan McFadden, The Denver Post, 16 Dec. 2024
Recognition of something vague but dreadful enveloped me.
—John Sergio, Newsweek, 15 Dec. 2024
Zoom out: Local sports fans are ready to put this dreadful year behind them.
—Justin Kaufmann, Axios, 9 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for dreadful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dreadful
Adjective
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Older humidifiers often looked like terrifying contraptions and were used mostly in hospital settings to help people with respiratory conditions.Whizy Kim, Vox, 20 Dec. 2024
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Rose, the terrifying stage mother from Jule Styne, Stephen Sondheim, and Arthur Laurents’s musical masterpiece, might at first impression be a thousand miles away from McDonald’s palpable warmth and golden, operatic voice—other famous Roses have run over audiences like a freight train.Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 20 Dec. 2024
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Her awful journey is a raging scream against the patriarchy and a biting critique of how women are viewed, especially by other women.The Week US, theweek, 17 Dec. 2024
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Murray’s magic trick Murray’s uncanny ability to transform awful individual performances into timely heat checks and cold-blooded game-winners is one of life’s great mysteries.Bennett Durando, The Denver Post, 17 Dec. 2024
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The record-breaking temperatures worsened deadly and destructive disasters around the world: Canadian wildfires forced the evacuations of tens of thousands of people, Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina, and a horrific heat wave in Pakistan killed hundreds of people.Umair Irfan, Vox, 28 Dec. 2024
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This horrific trend requires a coordinated response involving nonprofits, law enforcement, governments and industry leaders.Expert Panel®, Forbes, 27 Dec. 2024
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Media coverage of Walker’s messy private life has been intense.Oliver Kay, The Athletic, 20 Dec. 2024
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Other times, the work requires more intense intervention.Hannah Wiley, Los Angeles Times, 19 Dec. 2024
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These challenges stem primarily from the sheer volume and variability of data required to maintain effective defenses.Bankim Chandra, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024
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The sheer volume of socializing at this time of year also offers you ample opportunity to have some sort of romantic liaison under the mistletoe.Olivia Petter, Vogue, 23 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Despite Fraser Forster making a couple of horrible mistakes in the Carabao Cup quarter-final against Manchester United, then conceding six against Liverpool, the wisest move might be to sign a younger back-up goalkeeper for the long-term.Jack Pitt-Brooke, The Athletic, 26 Dec. 2024
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Specifically, Trump often points to the horrible human costs of the war and indicates a desire to put an end to the fighting as soon as possible.Samuel Charap, Foreign Affairs, 24 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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The final against Colombia pitted the top two teams of the tournament, but the match was marred by ugly scenes outside the Hard Rock Stadium gates hours before kickoff.Felipe Cardenas, The Athletic, 28 Dec. 2024
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The 1935 to 1936 robust rally was followed by an ugly 39% decline in 1937.Bill Stone, Forbes, 28 Dec. 2024
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This gruesome and senseless act of violence against a vulnerable woman will be met with the most serious consequences.Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 26 Dec. 2024
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He is shown attacking Linda Kozlowski’s character before meeting a gruesome end at Hogan’s hands.Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 23 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near dreadful
Cite this Entry
“Dreadful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dreadful. Accessed 5 Jan. 2025.
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