dreadful Definition
dread·ful (dred′fəl)
adjective
- inspiring dread; terrible or awesome
- Informal very bad, offensive, disagreeable, etc.
Etymology: ME dredeful
dreadful Related Forms
dread′·ful·ness noun
dreadful Synonyms
dreadful Usage Examples
Adjective complement with noun phrase
do: Yes, it does smell particularly dreadful, but there is a belief in the orient that it is a good slipperiness additive.
Modifying Another Word
- truly: Some are good, some are mediocre, some are truly dreadful.
- absolutely: Which leads on to the most obvious bit of all, the ref was absolutely dreadful.
- pretty: And there are some pretty dreadful tracks here, let's not mess about.
- quite: On a line that's supposed to run once every eight minutes - quite dreadful LU, please take note.
- simply: In the second half, Burnley were simply dreadful.
- so: Am I so dreadful, so hateful to ' ee?
Infinitive complement
think: It's dreadful to think what could have happened - people can be killed by bad reactions to nuts.
Modifies a noun
- calamity: It was not for long, however; for a month or two later a dreadful calamity fell upon Marija.
- mess: This morning, the kitchen was still a dreadful mess after cooking for friends yesterday evening.
- plight: The rescue of these two in their dreadful plight now needed the very acme of mountaineering skill.
- fate: How am I to go through with my dreadful fate?
- rebate: Are you still facing dreadful mail-in rebates without a coatch?
- mistake: What a dreadful mistake for a " professional " lecturer to make!
Used with adjective complement
- feel: I was very hungover, I just felt dreadful.
- sound: Em your colleagues sound dreadful, you have my sympathy!
- look: If the alloys have a chrome finish they can cost a fortune to get refurbished but look dreadful when scratched.
- seem: It seems dreadful to discuss the conduct of one's wife with two men whom I have never seen before.
- write: SB great at the reading and ringing bits, but finds writing dreadful.
- have: And I hear you can't drink the water and the waiters have dreadful, roving hands.
Browse dictionary entries near dreadful
- ‹ dread
- ‹ Drayton
- ‹ drayman
- ‹ drayage
- ‹ dray
- ‹ drawtube
- ‹ drawstring
- ‹ drawshave
- ‹ drawplate
- ‹ drawnwork
- dreadfully ›
- dreadlocks ›
- dreadnought ›
- dream ›
- dream up ›
- dream world ›
- dreamboat ›
- dreamer ›
- dreaming ›
- dreamland ›

