dreadful
Inspiring horror or disgust
Dreadful means causing dread or fear, though it now more commonly expresses strong disapproval or poor quality: a dreadful mistake, dreadful weather, The food was absolutely dreadful.
The word has softened from its literal sense—something truly dread-inducing—to general intensified negativity.
British speakers use it more freely as an emphatic: I'm dreadfully sorry.
Extremely bad quality
- terribleExtremely poor or distressing
- direExtremely serious or urgent
- grievousCausing intense suffering
- graveSerious and worrying
serious · acute · extreme · intense · profound · harsh · devastating · catastrophic
Extremely shocking and dreadful
- ghastlyTerrifyingly horrible or pale
- gruesomeCausing horror and disgust
- atrociousAppallingly, shockingly wicked
- horrendousExtremely unpleasant or bad
frightful · monstrous · hideous · appalling · terrifying · nightmarish · macabre · grisly
Extremely bad quality
- lousyOf very poor quality
- rottenDecomposed or corrupt
- crummyWretchedly inferior
- abysmalExtremely poor quality
atrocious · ghastly · horrid · beastly · frightful · wretched · miserable · rubbish
Causing strong disgust
- nauseatingCausing urge to vomit
- repulsiveCausing strong disgust
- loathsomeArousing intense disgust
- vileExtremely unpleasant or bad
sickening · abhorrent · foul · repugnant · abominable · detestable · offensive · gross
Fearful anticipation of harm
- sinisterThreateningly suggestive of harm
- menacingConveying threat or danger
- threateningExpressing intent to harm
- eerieDisturbingly strange
chilling · gloomy · dark · grim · baleful · portentous · inauspicious · premonitory
Extremely frightened
- frightenedExperiencing sudden fear
- anxiousTroubled by uncertainty
- fearfulFull of fright
- apprehensiveFearful of future events
trembling · panicked · alarmed · horror-struck · petrified · aghast · shaken · unnerved
awful
Extremely bad quality
- terribleExtremely poor or distressing
- direExtremely serious or urgent
- grievousCausing intense suffering
grave · serious · acute · extreme · intense · profound · harsh · devastating · catastrophic · calamitous
horrific
Extremely shocking and dreadful
- ghastlyTerrifyingly horrible or pale
- gruesomeCausing horror and disgust
- atrociousAppallingly, shockingly wicked
horrendous · frightful · monstrous · hideous · appalling · terrifying · nightmarish · macabre · grisly · blood-curdling
awful
Extremely bad quality
abysmal · atrocious · ghastly · horrid · beastly · frightful · wretched · miserable · rubbish · hopeless
revolting
Causing strong disgust
- nauseatingCausing urge to vomit
- repulsiveCausing strong disgust
- loathsomeArousing intense disgust
vile · sickening · abhorrent · foul · repugnant · abominable · detestable · offensive · gross · putrid
foreboding
Fearful anticipation of harm
- sinisterThreateningly suggestive of harm
- menacingConveying threat or danger
- threateningExpressing intent to harm
eerie · chilling · gloomy · dark · grim · baleful · portentous · inauspicious · premonitory · haunting
terrified
Extremely frightened
- frightenedExperiencing sudden fear
- anxiousTroubled by uncertainty
- fearfulFull of fright
apprehensive · trembling · panicked · alarmed · horror-struck · petrified · aghast · shaken · unnerved · trepidatious
- inferiorinferior, substandard, second-rate, second-class, subpar
- Posh Britishold boy, old chap, old bean, old sport, pip pip
- adjectivesbig, urgent, amazing, temporary, bold
- fearfear, afraid, fright, frightened, panic
- dramatic tonesintense, tense, suspenseful, ominous, foreboding
- fairytale adjectivesmagical, enchanted, wicked, cursed, charming
dreadfulwonderful
Extremely good, inspiring delight
marvelous · excellent · fantastic · delightful · superb
dreadfulcomforting
Giving emotional ease
soothing · heavenly · reassuring · calming · relaxing
- something dreadfulTerrible occurrence or entity
- penny dreadfulCheap Victorian crime serial
- most dreadful