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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

Unwell or in ill health

Conspicuously or obviously bad, wrong or offensive

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

poverty-stricken

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

very disgusting

unsportsmanlike

strictly for the birds

blood-and-thunder

not quite the done thing

ill-favoured^UK

a load of pants

less-than-stellar

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

good-for-nothing

leaving much to be desired

less-than-stellar

cheap and nasty

not up to standard

strictly for the birds

end-of-the-pier

no great shakes

unable to do something for toffee

twopenny-halfpenny

of poor quality

lowest of the low

unable to do something to save one's life

not good enough

lacking ability

not equipped to

unequal to the task

out of your depth

bottom-of-barrel

lacking experience

not know one's arse from one's elbow

not all it's cracked up to be

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

life-threatening

extremely painful

all-encompassing

extremely critical

rubbing the wrong way

highly effective

foaming at the mouth

coming on strong

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

a load of pants

life-threatening

full of hardship

poverty-stricken

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 contempt

beyond the pale

Mephistophelian

beneath contempt

good-for-nothing

highly improper

uncompassionate

desensitized^US

desensitised^UK

with a heart of stone

ill-humoured^UK

every person for themselves

red in tooth and claw

take-no-prisoners

knock-down-and-drag-out

hammer and tongs

intensely competitive

fiercely competitive

mephistophelean

confrontational

unsportsmanlike

involving bloodshed

double-crossing

demoralizing^US

demoralising^UK

lacking compassion

of bad reputation

unauthorized^US

insurrectionary

against the law

unauthorised^UK

under-the-counter

under the table

under-the-table

contrary to law

under the counter

in violation of law

against the rules

without law and order

near the knuckle

more ❯

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

Adjective

Very serious or urgent in nature

life-threatening

of great consequence

demanding attention

of the utmost importance

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

“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 percent

straightforward

straight from the shoulder

straight-from-the-shoulder

straight-talking

call a spade a spade

straight-shooting

black-and-white

straight to the point

clearly expressed

lay it on the line

saying what one thinks

speaking as one finds

calling spade a spade

not afraid to call a spade a spade

laying it on the line

incontrovertible

black and white

not beating around the bush

easily understandable

without qualification

no beating around the bush

with no strings

without reserve

without restrictions

no-holds-barred

untrammelled^UK

sharply defined

lacking subtlety

honest-to-goodness

clearly defined

encyclopedic^US

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

Unwell or in ill health

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

white as a sheet

on the sick list

white as a ghost

at death's door

light-colored^US

light-coloured^UK

unhealthy-looking

hospitalized^US

the worse for wear

hospitalised^UK

under medication

out of condition

in poor condition

slightly unwell

not a hundred percent

hypochondriacal

sick as a parrot

anaemic-looking

jaundiced-looking

out of commission

not feeling up to snuff

not feeling well

confined to bed

running temperature

feeling terrible

looking as if one has seen a ghost

more ❯

Adjective

Conspicuously or obviously bad, wrong or offensive

stick out like sore thumb

straightforward

glaringly obvious

in broad daylight

recognizable^US

as clear as day

recognisable^UK

brutally honest

as plain as a pikestaff

standing out a mile

sticking out like a sore thumb

sticking out a mile

standing out like a sore thumb

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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