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What is another word for dreadful?

Need synonyms for dreadful? Here's a list of similar words from our thesaurus that you can use instead.

Contexts ▼

Shocking, especially in a manner tending to cause fear or dread

Extremely awful or disagreeable

Very bad or lackluster in standard or quality

Significant or extreme in degree or intensity

Causing distress, sadness or anxiety

Characterized by wickedness or brutality

Very serious or urgent in nature

Having an ugly or frightening appearance

To an absolute degree

Unreasonably or absurdly extreme in degree or extent

Very bad or unpleasant, especially to the senses

Conspicuously or obviously bad, wrong or offensive

Slightly ill or not fully fit or healthy

Impossible to tolerate

… more ▼

Adjective

Shocking, especially in a manner tending to cause fear or dread

demoralizing^US

phantasmagorical

demoralising^UK

suggestive of evil

indescribably bad

beyond description

indescribably wicked

indescribably evil

too horrible for words

blood-and-thunder

deeply distressing

out of the ordinary

more ❯

“The dreadful sight of Pan and the still more dreadful noise he made so frightened the sheep that they fled in all directions.”

Adjective

Extremely awful or disagreeable

stomach-turning

stomach-churning

beyond the pale

very unpleasant

unsportsmanlike

very disgusting

ill-favoured^UK

blood-and-thunder

less-than-stellar

a load of pants

not quite the done thing

beyond contempt

disadvantageous

strictly for the birds

more ❯

“Tipping it to her lips, she braced herself for the dreadful taste of whatever swamp water soldiers drank.”

Adjective

Very bad or lackluster in standard or quality

a load of pants

not up to snuff

dissatisfactory

bargain-basement

not up to scratch

leaving much to be desired

good-for-nothing

less-than-stellar

cheap and nasty

strictly for the birds

end-of-the-pier

no great shakes

unable to do something for toffee

twopenny-halfpenny

not up to standard

of poor quality

lowest of the low

unable to do something to save one's life

not good enough

lacking ability

bottom-of-barrel

not all it's cracked up to be

lacking experience

not equipped to

not know one's arse from one's elbow

unequal to the task

out of your depth

undistinguished

not cut out for

more ❯

“Then he raised his voice, with a dreadful effort at self-control.”

Adjective

Significant or extreme in degree or intensity

industrial-strength

all-encompassing

extremely painful

hammer and tongs

knock-down-and-drag-out

fast and furious

like one possessed

beside yourself

hot under the collar

hot and bothered

full of upheavals

full of ups and downs

pulling no punches

without warning

easily provoked

on a short fuse

at the boiling point

rough-and-tumble

driven to distraction

out of one's wits

raining cats and dogs

attention-seeking

encyclopedic^US

lacking self-control

encyclopaedic^UK

not backward in coming forward

overextravagant

full of confusion

full of conflict

out of one's mind

over-enthusiastic

out of one's head

out of one's skull

not knowing what to do with oneself

spur-of-the-moment

root-and-branch

overenthusiastic

one hundred per cent

going off deep end

at the end of your tether

in a cold sweat

more than one can bear

more than flesh and blood can stand

more than flesh and blood can bear

more ❯

“I had to tell Richard I was unable to tolerate the dreadful pain any longer.”

Adjective

Causing distress, sadness or anxiety

demoralising^UK

demoralizing^US

heart-wrenching

unfavourable^UK

disadvantageous

earth-shattering

life-threatening

poverty-stricken

full of hardship

foolish-looking

more ❯

“The vizier laid before his master the dreadful news of a general revolt, both of his troops and provinces in the south.”

Adjective

Characterized by wickedness or brutality

dishonourable^UK

dishonorable^US

beyond the pale

Mephistophelian

beyond contempt

beneath contempt

good-for-nothing

highly improper

uncompassionate

desensitized^US

desensitised^UK

with a heart of stone

take-no-prisoners

ill-humoured^UK

red in tooth and claw

knock-down-and-drag-out

hammer and tongs

every person for themselves

mephistophelean

confrontational

double-crossing

involving bloodshed

unsportsmanlike

intensely competitive

fiercely competitive

lacking compassion

more ❯

“The dreadful tyrant of cruel rod brings ruin upon himself by frightful deeds.”

Adjective

Very serious or urgent in nature

life-threatening

of the utmost importance

of great consequence

demanding attention

more ❯

“It was only with the conviction she was deeply conflicted by some dreadful issue that I hung in there with her.”

Adjective

Having an ugly or frightening appearance

ill-favoured^UK

unprepossessing

not much to look at

no oil painting

not much for looks

hard on the eyes

misproportioned

frightful-looking

ordinary-looking

as plain as a pikestaff

like the back end of a bus

plain as a pikestaff

more ❯

“Instead of recoiling in dismay from the dreadful and misshapen forms, a minority of observers began to view them with a sort of fearful fascination.”

Adjective

To an absolute degree

dyed-in-the-wool

through and through

in every respect

no ifs ands or buts

without reservations

no holds barred

nothing other than

rightly so called

through-and-through

without reservation

no strings attached

one hundred per cent

straightforward

straight from the shoulder

straight-from-the-shoulder

straight to the point

speaking as one finds

not afraid to call a spade a spade

incontrovertible

black-and-white

clearly expressed

not beating around the bush

straight-talking

call a spade a spade

straight-shooting

easily understandable

black and white

without qualification

no beating around the bush

with no strings

without reserve

without restrictions

no-holds-barred

untrammelled^UK

lacking subtlety

honest-to-goodness

lay it on the line

saying what one thinks

calling spade a spade

laying it on the line

encyclopedic^US

clearly defined

encyclopaedic^UK

all-encompassing

hundred percent

picture-perfect

more ❯

“I'm afraid I've made a dreadful mess of things, Gregory. I simply couldn't help myself.”

Adjective

Unreasonably or absurdly extreme in degree or extent

out of the ordinary

“In those dreadful early hours of the morning, when life ebbed to its lowest point, hope kept me going.”

Adjective

Very bad or unpleasant, especially to the senses

Adjective

Conspicuously or obviously bad, wrong or offensive

stick out like sore thumb

straightforward

standing out a mile

as plain as a pikestaff

sticking out a mile

sticking out like a sore thumb

standing out like a sore thumb

recognizable^US

incontrovertible

staring someone in the face

as plain as day

distinguishable

beyond question

recognisable^UK

as clear as day

staring one in the face

written all over someone

glaringly obvious

more ❯

Adjective

Slightly ill or not fully fit or healthy

under the weather

green about the gills

not up to the mark

as white as a ghost

as white as a sheet

green around gills

suffering from motion sickness

suffering from altitude sickness

like death warmed up

not in good shape

not up to snuff

on the sick list

white as a sheet

white as a ghost

at death's door

light-colored^US

light-coloured^UK

unhealthy-looking

hospitalized^US

the worse for wear

hospitalised^UK

looking as if one has seen a ghost

under medication

slightly unwell

not a hundred percent

hypochondriacal

sick as a parrot

anaemic-looking

jaundiced-looking

out of commission

not feeling well

confined to bed

out of condition

in poor condition

not feeling up to snuff

running temperature

feeling terrible

more ❯

Adjective

Impossible to tolerate

not to be borne

too much to bear

enough to try the patience of Job

enough to try the patience of a saint

beyond endurance

beyond the pale

enough to tax the patience of a saint

enough to test the patience of a saint

more than one can stand

more than flesh and blood can stand

more than one can bear

more ❯

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