dreadful
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.extremely bad, low quality, or very unpleasant.
adj.extremely disagreeable, shocking, or of very poor quality.
Simple“The weather was absolutely dreadful, so we stayed inside all day.”
In context“The performance was truly dreadful, characterized by missed cues and a complete lack of chemistry between the lead actors.”
- 02 C1 Advanced
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.
Simple“The army faced a dreadful challenge as they crossed the mountains.”
In context“The explorer spoke of the dreadful silence of the arctic wastes, where the only sound was the shifting of the ice.”
SynonymsAntonyms - 03 C1 Advanced
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.
Simple“I am dreadful sorry for being so late to the dinner.”
In context“He looked dreadful pale after the accident, though the doctors assured us his injuries were minor.”
UsageUsually placed before an adjective.
- 04 C2 Proficiency
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.
Simple“The young boy spent his coins on a dreadful filled with ghost stories.”
In context“Victorian critics often condemned the 'penny dreadful' for its supposed corrupting influence on the working-class youth of London.”
Synonymsshockerpenny dreadful
“An Australian court has been told that the crimes of mushroom murderer Erin Patterson were "truly dreadful" and that she should never be allowed to leave prison.”
“Gary O’Neil perhaps feels he has unfinished business, but if any of the promoted sides are to survive, they need another club to have a dreadful campaign.”
From Middle English dredful, dredfull, dredeful (also dreful), equivalent to dread + -ful.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.