Word Adverb
dreadfully
adv.
degree
C1 Advanced US /ˈdɹɛdfəɫi/ UK /dɹˈɛdfəli/ dread·ful·ly
Definition
adv.very badly or extremely. You use it to emphasize that something is much worse than you expected.
adv.extremely or very badly; to a high degree. Often used to intensify adjectives related to quality or performance.
Examples
“The weather was dreadfully cold this morning.”
“The play was dreadfully boring, and I found myself checking my watch every few minutes.”
“The report was dreadfully late, causing the board to question the department's ability to meet future deadlines under the current management.”
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English dredfully, dradefullich, dredefullich; equivalent to dreadful + -ly.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
This entry
Origin Middle English dredfully
Level C1 · Advanced
Frequency Occasional
Updated