dread
[dred]
- to fear greatly; be in extreme apprehension of: to dread death.
- to be reluctant to do, meet, or experience: I dread going to big parties.
- Archaic. to hold in respectful awe.
Show More
- to be in great fear.
Show More
- terror or apprehension as to something in the future; great fear.
- a person or thing dreaded.
- dreads, Informal. dreadlocks.
- Informal. a person who wears dreadlocks.w
- Archaic. deep awe or reverence.
Show More
- greatly feared; frightful; terrible.
- held in awe or reverential fear.
Show More
Origin of dread
1125–75; Middle English dreden (v.), Old English drǣdan, aphetic variant of adrǣdan, ondrǣdan; cognate with Old High German intrātan to fear
Synonyms
See more synonyms for dread on Thesaurus.comAntonyms
1. welcome.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for dreading
Contemporary Examples
Gävle Goat must be dreading the imminent holiday and his fifty-fifty chance of destruction.
Is it possible to really look forward to something, while dreading it too?
I was dreading that moment, because there I was thinking I was wasting all of my money and I would have no more savings.
I became paranoid and avoided her neighborhood, dreading the idea of running into her.
With Dolly dreading a return across the Atlantic to singledom, Emily strikes upon the idea that she could stay as a temporary PA.
Historical Examples
Dreading a rejection, I solicited the interest of the merry damsel.
The Seven Vagabonds (From "Twice Told Tales")Nathaniel Hawthorne
It seemed to me that the trouble I was dreading would come through her.
My Double LifeSarah Bernhardt
It was the hemorrhage coming, the near end which Ferrand had been dreading.
The Three Cities Trilogy, CompleteEmile Zola
They still carry the bucket and the pole, hoping yet dreading to meet their parents.
Classic MythsMary Catherine Judd
"No, I swear to you I don't," said Muffat, dreading a scene.
dread
- to anticipate with apprehension or terror
- to fear greatly
- archaic to be in awe of
Show More
- great fear; horror
- an object of terror
- slang a Rastafarian
- archaic deep reverence
Show More
- literary awesome; awe-inspiring
Show More
Word Origin
Old English ondrǣdan; related to Old Saxon antdrādan, Old High German intrātan
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for dreading
dread
v.
late 12c., a shortening of Old English adrædan, contraction of ondrædan "counsel or advise against," also "to dread, fear, be afraid," from on- "against" + rædan "to advise" (see read (v.)). Cognate of Old Saxon andradon, Old High German intraten. Related: Dreaded; dreading. As a noun from 12c.
Show More
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper