dread

American  

[dred] / drɛd /

verb (used with object)

1. to fear greatly; be in extreme apprehension of.

   to dread death.

   Antonyms:

   welcome

2. to be reluctant to do, meet, or experience.

   I dread going to big parties.

3. Archaic. to hold in respectful awe.

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verb (used without object)

1. to be in great fear.

noun

1. terror or apprehension as to something in the future; great fear.

2. a person or thing dreaded.

3. Informal. dreads, dreadlocks.

4. Informal. a person who wears dreadlocks.

5. Archaic. deep awe or reverence.

adjective

1. greatly feared; frightful; terrible.

   Synonyms:

   horrible, dreadful, dire

2. held in awe or reverential fear.

dread British  

/ drɛd /

verb

1. to anticipate with apprehension or terror

2. to fear greatly

3. archaic to be in awe of

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noun

1. great fear; horror

2. an object of terror

3. slang a Rastafarian

4. archaic deep reverence

adjective

1. literary awesome; awe-inspiring

Related Words

See fear.

Other Word Forms

• dreadable adjective
• dreadness noun
• predread noun
• undreaded adjective
• undreading adjective

Etymology

Origin of dread

First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English dreden (verb), Old English drǣdan, aphetic variant of adrǣdan, ondrǣdan; cognate with Old High German intrātan “to fear”

Example Sentences

"I dread to think what comes next," she added.

From Barron's

For those that fall behind, the dreaded bubble may not be what lies within the AI sector, but what exists beyond.

From The Wall Street Journal

Yet as much as he dreaded her leaving, he knew it would also be a relief.

From Literature

As the summer wore on, the boy had begun, if not to enjoy his weekly conversations with the social worker, at least not to dread them.

From Literature

It was a whole day’s travel and they arrived exhausted, the parents trying to console their children despite the dread in their own hearts.

From Literature

Related Words

• apprehension
• awe
• consternation
• dismay
• horror
• panic
• phobia
• terror
• trepidation