dreadful

C1 · Advanced Literary

adj. causing a feeling of great fear or respect.

adj. inspiring dread, awe, or apprehension; often used in a literary context to describe something powerful and frightening.

“The army faced a dreadful challenge as they crossed the mountains.”

“The explorer spoke of the dreadful silence of the arctic wastes, where the only sound was the shifting of the ice.”

C1 · Advanced Informal · British English

adv. used to mean 'very' or 'extremely' when you are talking about something bad.

adv. functioning as an intensifier meaning 'extremely' or 'very'; typically modifies adjectives with negative connotations.

“I am dreadful sorry for being so late to the dinner.”

“He looked dreadful pale after the accident, though the doctors assured us his injuries were minor.”

C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Archaic

n. a cheap book or newspaper from the past that told shocking stories about crimes.

n. a sensationalist or lurid publication, typically from the 19th century, focusing on crime and horror.

“The young boy spent his coins on a dreadful filled with ghost stories.”

“Victorian critics often condemned the 'penny dreadful' for its supposed corrupting influence on the working-class youth of London.”