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Showing results for dreading. Search instead for undreading.
Synonyms

dreading

American  
[dred-ing] / ˈdrɛd ɪŋ /

verb

  1. the present participle of dread.

Etymology

Origin of dreading

dread + -ing 2

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The couple is among thousands of immigrant parents hiding in their homes in Minneapolis, dreading that federal agents will come knocking.

From Barron's • Feb. 2, 2026

In private, in my office, she admitted to avoiding mirrors, skipping photos and dreading social events.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 2, 2026

The scene everyone is dreading and/or waiting for doesn’t exist, so what exists in its place?

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 25, 2025

I was dreading that as much as I had dreaded getting scammed.

From Slate • Aug. 4, 2025

I’m dreading going in there and having to explain everything again.

From "A Mango-Shaped Space" by Wendy Mass

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.