adj
dreadful
DREHD-fl
adj
1
Very bad, unpleasant, or shocking.
"The weather has been dreadful all week."
"That was a dreadful thing to say to her."
2
Causing genuine fear or horror.
"They witnessed the dreadful aftermath of the storm."
noun
1
A cheaply printed, sensational story or crime report, especially from the 19th century (a "penny dreadful").
"The Victorian boys were forbidden from reading penny dreadfuls."
How to Use Dreadful
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishVery bad or unpleasant, or (more literally) causing genuine fear.
Common pairings
dreadful weather
a dreadful mistake
penny dreadful
Word Forms
more dreadful comparative, more dreadful comparative, dreadfuls plural, most dreadful superlative, most dreadful superlative
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Etymology
From Middle English dredful, formed from dread plus -ful.