dreadful

Etymology
From, , (also ), equivalent to.

Adjective

 * 1) Full of something causing dread, whether
 * 2) Genuinely horrific, awful, or alarming; dangerous, risky.
 * 3)  Unpleasant, awful, very bad (also used as an intensifier).
 * 4) * 1682, T. Creech's translation of Lucretius, De Natura Rerum, Book II, 52:
 * Here some... Look dreadful gay in their own sparkling blood.
 * 1)  Awesome, awe-inspiring, causing feelings of reverence.
 * 2)  Full of dread, whether
 * 3) Scared, afraid, frightened.
 * 4) Timid, easily frightened.
 * 5) Reverential, full of pious awe.
 * 1) Scared, afraid, frightened.
 * 2) Timid, easily frightened.
 * 3) Reverential, full of pious awe.
 * 1) Reverential, full of pious awe.

Adverb

 * 1)  Dreadfully.

Usage notes
The senses of "dreadful" synonymous with "afraid" similarly use the infinitive or the preposition "of": they were dreadful to build or the boy was dreadful of his majesty. These senses are, however, now obsolete.

When used as an intensifier, "dreadful" is actually a form of the adverb "dreadfully" and thus considered informal or vulgar.

Synonyms

 * See Thesaurus:frightening
 * See Thesaurus:bad

Translations

 * Arabic: فظيع
 * Bulgarian: ,
 * Chinese:
 * Cantonese: 可畏
 * Hakka: 可畏
 * Hokkien: 可畏
 * Mandarin: 可畏
 * Dutch:
 * French:, ,
 * Galician: espantoso,
 * German: ,
 * Greek:, ,
 * Ancient: αἰνός
 * Irish:, millteanach, uafásach
 * Old Irish: úathmar
 * Italian:, ,
 * Kazakh: қорқынышты
 * Maori: maruwehi, whakarihariha, whakapāwerawera
 * Middle English: dredful
 * Navajo: hóyééʼ
 * Occitan:, ,
 * Persian:
 * Plautdietsch: schrakjlich, jräsich
 * Portuguese:, , , , amedrontador
 * Russian:, ,
 * Sanskrit: ,
 * Scottish Gaelic: sgriosail
 * Spanish:, , , ,
 * Turkish:, dehşet verici, , ,

Noun

 * 1) A shocker: a report of a crime written in a provokingly lurid style.
 * 2) A journal or broadsheet printing such reports.
 * 3) A shocking or sensational crime.