something dreadful
Cause for horror
Something dreadful is an unspecified but terrible thing—a placeholder for calamity when you'd rather not name it directly.
The phrase often appears in expressions of worry or foreboding: I'm afraid something dreadful has happened.
It can also minimize through vagueness: She's come down with something dreadful.
- awfulExtremely bad quality
- horribleExtremely bad or unpleasant
- appallingInspiring horror or disgust
- terribleExtremely poor or distressing
- unspeakableBeyond verbal expression
worst nightmare · dire · fright · calamity · horror · abomination · tragedy · atrocity · terror · monstrosity · despair · suffering · living hell · omen · foreboding · impending doom · hopelessness · catastrophe