What is the meaning of dreadful?

Causing fear or dread or terror.
- usage: "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"
- synonyms: awful, dire, direful, dread, dreaded, fearful, fearsome, frightening, horrendous, horrific, terrible
Exceptionally bad or displeasing.
- usage: "atrocious taste"; "abominable workmanship"; "an awful voice"; "dreadful manners"; "a painful performance"; "terrible handwriting"; "an unspeakable odor came sweeping into the room"
- synonyms: atrocious, abominable, awful, painful, terrible, unspeakable
Very unpleasant. .

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APA	WordNet. (2010). dreadful. Retrieved September 21, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/dreadful/definitions/1172881
Chicago	WordNet. 2010. "dreadful" http://smartdefine.org/dreadful/definitions/1172881 (accessed September 21, 2026).
Harvard	WordNet 2010, dreadful, Smart Define, viewed 21 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/dreadful/definitions/1172881>.
MLA	WordNet. "dreadful" 23 October 2010. Web. 21 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/dreadful/definitions/1172881>

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