dread

C1 · Advanced Informal

v. to twist hair into long, rope-like pieces called dreadlocks.

v. to style hair into dreadlocks. Often used in the passive voice or as a participle.

“He decided to dread his hair over the summer break.”

“She spent several hours at the salon having her hair dreaded into neat, uniform sections.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate Uncountable noun

n. a strong feeling of fear or worry about something bad that may happen.

n. a state of intense apprehension or anticipatory terror regarding a future event.

日本語:恐怖※

“She was filled with dread as she opened the envelope containing her exam results.”

“A sense of cold dread settled over the village as the dark clouds gathered, signalling the arrival of the predicted storm.”

C1 · Advanced Countable noun Informal · Slang

n. a single rope-like piece of hair; a dreadlock.

n. a single lock of hair styled as a dreadlock. Usually used in the plural.

“He cut off one of his dreads to see how it would look.”

“The musician was known for his floor-length dreads, which he had been growing for over a decade.”

C2 · Proficiency Literary · Formal

adj. causing great fear or being very serious.

adj. inspiring great fear or awe; often used in formal or literary contexts to describe something formidable.

“The king had to make a dread decision that would affect the whole country.”

“The explorers were warned about the dread silence of the desert, where the lack of sound could drive a person to madness.”