'Dreadful' definitions:
Definition of 'dreadful'
(from WordNet)
adjective
Causing fear or dread or terror; "the awful war"; "an awful risk"; "dire news"; "a career or vengeance so direful that London was shocked"; "the dread presence of the headmaster"; "polio is no longer the dreaded disease it once was"; "a dreadful storm"; "a fearful howling"; "horrendous explosions shook the city"; "a terrible curse" [syn: awful, dire, direful, dread(a), dreaded, dreadful, fearful, fearsome, frightening, horrendous, horrific, terrible]
adjective
Exceptionally bad or displeasing; "atrocious taste"; "abominable workmanship"; "an awful voice"; "dreadful manners"; "a painful performance"; "terrible handwriting"; "an unspeakable odor came sweeping into the room" [syn: atrocious, abominable, awful, dreadful, painful, terrible, unspeakable]
adjective
Very unpleasant
Definition of 'Dreadful'
From: GCIDE
- Dreadful \Dread"ful\, a.
- 1. Full of dread or terror; fearful. [Obs.] "With dreadful heart." --Chaucer. [1913 Webster]
- 2. Inspiring dread; impressing great fear; fearful; terrible; as, a dreadful storm. " Dreadful gloom." --Milton. [1913 Webster]
- For all things are less dreadful than they seem. --Wordsworth. [1913 Webster]
- 3. Inspiring awe or reverence; awful. [Obs.] "God's dreadful law." --Shak.
- Syn: Fearful; frightful; terrific; terrible; horrible; horrid; formidable; tremendous; awful; venerable. See Frightful. [1913 Webster]
Synonyms of 'dreadful'
From: Moby Thesaurus
- abominable,
- alarming,
- appalling,
- arrant,
- astounding,
- atrocious,
- august,
- awe-inspiring,
- awesome,
- awful,
- awfully,
- bad,
- baneful,
- base,
- beastly,
- beneath contempt,
- big,
- Bildungsroman,
- blameworthy,
- brutal,
- comic novel,
- contemptible,
- damned,
- deadly,
- demonic,
- deplorable,
- despicable,
- detective novel,
- detestable,
- devilish,
- diabolical,
- dime novel,
- dire,
- direful,
- disgusting,
- dread,
- dreaded,
- dreadfully,
- egregious,
- enormous,
- epistolary novel,
- erotic novel,
- estimable,
- evil,
- exceedingly,
- feared,
- fearful,
- fearsome,
- fell,
- fetid,
- fiendish,
- filthy,
- flagitious,
- flagrant,
- forbidding,
- formidable,
- foul,
- frightening,
- frightful,
- fulsome,
- ghastly,
- ghoulish,
- Gothic novel,
- grievous,
- grim,
- grisly,
- gross,
- gruesome,
- hateful,
- heinous,
- hideous,
- historical novel,
- honorable,
- horrendous,
- horrible,
- horrid,
- horrific,
- horrifying,
- howling,
- infamous,
- iniquitous,
- lamentable,
- loathsome,
- lousy,
- macabre,
- malefic,
- maleficent,
- malevolent,
- monstrous,
- morbid,
- nasty,
- nefarious,
- noisome,
- notorious,
- nouvelle,
- novel,
- novel of character,
- novel of ideas,
- novel of incident,
- novel of manners,
- novel of sensibility,
- novelette,
- novella,
- obnoxious,
- odious,
- offensive,
- outrageous,
- penny dreadful,
- picaresque novel,
- pitiable,
- pitiful,
- pornographic novel,
- problem novel,
- proletarian novel,
- propaganda novel,
- psychological novel,
- rank,
- rattling,
- redoubtable,
- regional novel,
- regrettable,
- remarkably,
- repelling,
- reprehensible,
- repugnant,
- repulsive,
- reverend,
- revolting,
- river novel,
- roman,
- roman a clef,
- roman-fleuve,
- rotten,
- rousing,
- sad,
- satirical novel,
- scandalous,
- scary,
- schlock,
- schrecklich,
- science-fiction novel,
- scurvy,
- sentimental novel,
- shabby,
- shameful,
- shilling,
- shilling shocker,
- shocking,
- shoddy,
- short story,
- short-short,
- sociological novel,
- sordid,
- squalid,
- storiette,
- stream-of-consciousness novel,
- strikingly,
- terrible,
- terrific,
- thesis novel,
- thumping,
- time-honored,
- too bad,
- tragic,
- tremendous,
- unclean,
- unspeakable,
- venerable,
- vignette,
- vile,
- villainous,
- whacking,
- wicked,
- woeful,
- worshipful,
- worst,
- worthless,
- wretched