Dreadful

/ˈdrɛd.fəl/

Meaning & Definition

adjective

causing or involving great fear or anxiety; very bad or unpleasant.

The weather was dreadful, with heavy rain and strong winds.

very bad; awful.

She had a dreadful experience at the restaurant due to poor service.

extremely bad in quality.

His dreadful performance was met with silence from the audience.

arousing great fear or horror.

The film was so dreadful that I couldn't sleep afterwards.

Middle English: from dread + -ful.

dreadful night

a night filled with fear or unpleasantness.

dreadful mistake

a very serious or embarrassing error.

dreadful weather

extremely bad weather conditions.

dread

to fear greatly; to be afraid of.

dreadfully

in a dreadful manner; extremely.

dreadfulness

the quality of being dreadful.

really bad or disappointing

That movie was so dreadful, I can't believe I wasted two hours on it.

totally uncool

Those shoes are dreadful, you need to upgrade your style.