Meaning & use
dreadful
Extremely bad, unpleasant, or shocking, often causing dismay or great discomfort.
See it in a sentence
The weather was dreadful all weekend, with nonstop rain and howling wind.
She felt dreadful about forgetting her friend's birthday until she could apologize in person.
A note on using this word
Dreadful is common in British English as a general intensifier for anything unpleasant, from weather to behavior, and is often softened in speech, as in 'a dreadful bore'.
Words with a similar meaning
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
wonderfuldelightful
Make it your own
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