dread
1 of 3verb
ˈdred 
dreaded; dreading; dreads
transitive verb
1
a
: to fear greatly
can't swim and dreads the water
a dreaded disease
b
archaic : to regard with awe
2
: to feel extreme reluctance to meet or face
dread the future
dreaded telling him the truth
dread the thought of speaking in public
intransitive verb
: to be apprehensive or fearful
dread not
dread
2 of 3noun
1
a
: great fear especially in the face of impending evil
were filled with dread by reports of another terrorist attack
b
: extreme uneasiness in the face of a disagreeable prospect (see prospect entry 1 sense 4c)
dread of a social blunder
c
archaic : awe
2
: one causing fear or awe
the days of wooden ships and wooden homes, when fire was an omnipresent dread
F. W. Saunders
F. W. Saunders3
a
: dreadlock sense 1
trimming each dread
b
dreads plural : dreadlock sense 2
looked great in dreads
dread
3 of 3adjective
1
: causing great fear or anxiety
dread diseases
2
: inspiring awe
our dread king
Synonyms
Noun
- alarm
- alarum
- apprehension
- apprehensiveness
- foreboding
- misgiving
Adjective
- alarming
- dire
- direful
- dreadful
- fearful
- fearsome
- forbidding
- formidable
- frightening
- frightful
- ghastly
- hair-raising
- horrendous
- horrible
- horrifying
- intimidating
- redoubtable
- scary
- shocking
- spine-chilling
- terrible
- terrifying
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Verb He can't swim and dreads going in the water. She dreaded making speeches in front of large audiences. I dread the day I will have to leave my friends. I dread the thought of moving next week. I dread to think about what they might do next. Noun She has a dread of failure. He lives with the constant dread of rejection. She awaited her punishment with dread. The news about the war fills me with dread. They live in constant dread of another attack. Adjective every ship on the Spanish Main was terrified of running into the dread pirate See More
Recent Examples on the Web David Rohde, The New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2022 Though most kids might dread having a teacher for a neighbor, Mr. Feeny, played by William Daniels, was the exception to the rule. Andrea Wurzburger, Peoplemag, 10 Aug. 2022 While many books on the subject look at menopause through a medical lens, The Slow Moon Climbs takes a historical — and wholly positive — approach, positioning it not as a period to fear or dread but as an essential rite of passage to embrace. Stephanie Witmer, Good Housekeeping, 30 Apr. 2022 However, many travelers dread the idea of hours behind the wheel all by themselves. Nevin Martell, Washington Post, 25 Aug. 2022 Earlier in the program, a video about that bell, which signals a misspelling, showed just how much the spellers dread that ding, and viewers who hung in until the very end probably feel the same way. Dawn Ennis, Forbes, 3 June 2022 The careful negotiations of Henry and Celia — shot by Christensen in searching closeups with shifting light as the evening draws on — are a kind of cat-and-mouse game, but one in which both of them dread getting the upper hand. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Apr. 2022 His final years, in a cottage near the sea, were spent vacillating between optimism about mankind’s resilience and dread about its refusal to deal with the perils at hand. Brian Murphy, Washington Post, 28 July 2022 Companies must walk a delicate line between protecting their inventory and creating stores that customers don’t dread visiting. Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN, 30 July 2022 Radhika Seth, Vogue, 10 Aug. 2022 Later, the Zurks provide some moments of existential dread on par with horror games, at one point channeling the abstract gore of Silent Hill. Matt Gardner, Forbes, 18 July 2022 The hours that followed were a whirlwind of panic and dread and resignation: Ms. Hoyer furiously texted Luke. New York Times, 23 July 2022 Still, the future for her family is fraught with dread and uncertainty. Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 12 July 2022 This enveloped some advisors in a feeling of dread and uncertainty that was incredibly difficult to overcome. Todd Sixt, Forbes, 3 June 2022 Nobody in Lapvona had gone mad in a century, but the room still held the charge of dread and insanity. Ottessa Moshfegh, Harper’s Magazine , 25 May 2022 This prospect has been received with dread and optimism. Jane Hu, The New Yorker, 18 May 2022 Her growing family has brought more dread than joy. David Pierson, Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2021 See More
Verb
In the wake of January 6th, dread about Trump has understandably intensified. David Rohde, The New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2022 Though most kids might dread having a teacher for a neighbor, Mr. Feeny, played by William Daniels, was the exception to the rule. Andrea Wurzburger, Peoplemag, 10 Aug. 2022 While many books on the subject look at menopause through a medical lens, The Slow Moon Climbs takes a historical — and wholly positive — approach, positioning it not as a period to fear or dread but as an essential rite of passage to embrace. Stephanie Witmer, Good Housekeeping, 30 Apr. 2022 However, many travelers dread the idea of hours behind the wheel all by themselves. Nevin Martell, Washington Post, 25 Aug. 2022 Earlier in the program, a video about that bell, which signals a misspelling, showed just how much the spellers dread that ding, and viewers who hung in until the very end probably feel the same way. Dawn Ennis, Forbes, 3 June 2022 The careful negotiations of Henry and Celia — shot by Christensen in searching closeups with shifting light as the evening draws on — are a kind of cat-and-mouse game, but one in which both of them dread getting the upper hand. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Apr. 2022 His final years, in a cottage near the sea, were spent vacillating between optimism about mankind’s resilience and dread about its refusal to deal with the perils at hand. Brian Murphy, Washington Post, 28 July 2022 Companies must walk a delicate line between protecting their inventory and creating stores that customers don’t dread visiting. Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN, 30 July 2022 Noun
Expect razor-sharp dialogue and lashings of existential dread. Radhika Seth, Vogue, 10 Aug. 2022 Later, the Zurks provide some moments of existential dread on par with horror games, at one point channeling the abstract gore of Silent Hill. Matt Gardner, Forbes, 18 July 2022 The hours that followed were a whirlwind of panic and dread and resignation: Ms. Hoyer furiously texted Luke. New York Times, 23 July 2022 Still, the future for her family is fraught with dread and uncertainty. Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 12 July 2022 This enveloped some advisors in a feeling of dread and uncertainty that was incredibly difficult to overcome. Todd Sixt, Forbes, 3 June 2022 Nobody in Lapvona had gone mad in a century, but the room still held the charge of dread and insanity. Ottessa Moshfegh, Harper’s Magazine , 25 May 2022 This prospect has been received with dread and optimism. Jane Hu, The New Yorker, 18 May 2022 Her growing family has brought more dread than joy. David Pierson, Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2021 See More Word History
Etymology
Verb, Noun, and Adjective
Middle English dreden, from Old English drǣdan
First Known Use
Verb
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a
Noun
13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Adjective
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Kids Definition
dread 1 of 3
verb
ˈdred
dreaded; dreading
1
: to fear or dislike greatly
He can't swim and dreads going into the water.
2
: to be very unwilling to face
I dread Monday.
dread
2 of 3noun
: great fear especially of something that will or might happen
… her dread of water was greater than her fear of the dark … L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Ozdread
3 of 3adjective
: causing great fear or anxiety
a dread disease
dread 1 of 3
adjective
as in terrifying
causing fear every ship on the Spanish Main was terrified of running into the dread pirate Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- terrifying
- frightening
- scary
- horrible
- intimidating
- terrible
- fearful
- formidable
- dreadful
- alarming
- horrifying
- shocking
- ghastly
- eerie
- frightful
- direful
- fearsome
- forbidding
- startling
- trying
- creepy
- dire
- spine-chilling
- unnerving
- troubling
- horrendous
- eery
- demoralizing
- redoubtable
- gruesome
- disquieting
- hair-raising
- daunting
- threatening
- disconcerting
- disturbing
- discouraging
- hideous
- nightmarish
- distressing
- horrid
- perturbing
- dismaying
- weird
- monstrous
- macabre
- awful
- grisly
- bone-chilling
- appalling
- grewsome
- atrocious
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- reassuring
- comforting
- calming
- relaxing
- soothing
- inviting
- consoling
- tranquilizing
- quieting
- lulling
- tranquillizing
- pacifying
- nonthreatening
- nonintimidating
dread
2 of 3noun
1
as in worry
suspicion or fear of future harm or misfortune the dread felt by people awaiting bad news Synonyms & Similar Words
- worry
- anxiety
- fearfulness
- apprehension
- apprehensiveness
- uncertainty
- unease
- concern
- misgiving
- foreboding
- uneasiness
- disquietude
- suspense
- alarm
- anxiousness
- doubt
- alarum
- disquiet
- mistrust
- distress
- funk
- wariness
- agitation
- pessimism
- solicitude
- perturbation
- suspiciousness
- incertitude
- scruple
- defeatism
- presentiment
- disturbance
- premonition
- foreknowledge
- presage
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- anticipation
- excitement
- hope
- hopefulness
- confidence
- optimism
- sanguinity
2
as in fear
the emotion experienced in the presence or threat of danger we were filled with dread when we saw the rapids we would be rafting down Synonyms & Similar Words
- fear
- anxiety
- fearfulness
- panic
- trepidation
- terror
- horror
- worry
- fright
- scare
- dismay
- alarm
- concern
- pang
- alarum
- nervousness
- apprehension
- phobia
- creeps
- qualm
- disquiet
- twinge
- jitters
- agitation
- consternation
- discomposure
- funk
- willies
- timidity
- perturbation
- cowardice
- timorousness
- faintheartedness
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- confidence
- assurance
- boldness
- aplomb
- fearlessness
- courage
- fortitude
- daring
- self-assurance
- stoutness
- bravery
- intrepidity
- hardihood
- self-confidence
- intrepidness
- valor
- gallantry
- courageousness
- nerve
- audacity
- dauntlessness
- guts
- doughtiness
3
as in terror
something or someone that causes fear or dread especially without reason speaking in public is a perennial dread for many people Synonyms & Similar Words
- terror
- plague
- torment
- bugbear
- curse
- enemy
- spirit
- horror
- bugaboo
- bête noire
- ogre
- specter
- bogy
- demon
- monster
- fright
- bogey
- hobgoblin
- black beast
- wraith
- phantom
- ghost
- apparition
- horrible
- spectre
- phantasm
- spook
- bogeyman
- incubus
- bogie
- banshee
- imp
- poltergeist
- ghoul
- bane
- bogyman
- scourge
- devil
- fantasm
- abomination
- fiend
- monstrosity
- shade
- daemon
- anathema
dread
3 of 3verb
as in to fear
Synonyms & Similar Words
- fear
- caution
- apprehend
- preview
- alert
- forewarn
- envision
- descry
- visualize
- perceive
- envisage
- foresee
- predict
- foretoken
- presage
- prophesy
- foreshadow
- divine
- forecast
- prefigure
- discern
- foretell
- anticipate
- prognosticate
- prevision
- augur
- foreknow
- forefeel
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of dread are alarm, fear, fright, panic, terror, and trepidation. While all these words mean "painful agitation in the presence or anticipation of danger," dread usually adds the idea of intense reluctance to face or meet a person or situation and suggests aversion as well as anxiety.
faced the meeting with dread
In some situations, the words alarm and dread are roughly equivalent. However, alarm suggests a sudden and intense awareness of immediate danger.
view the situation with alarm
The meanings of fear and dread largely overlap; however, fear is the most general term and implies anxiety and usually loss of courage.
fear of the unknown
Although the words fright and dread have much in common, fright implies the shock of sudden, startling fear.
fright at being awakened suddenly
The synonyms panic and dread are sometimes interchangeable, but panic implies unreasoning and overmastering fear causing hysterical activity.
the news caused widespread panic
While in some cases nearly identical to dread, terror implies the most extreme degree of fear.
immobilized with terror
Trepidation adds to dread the implications of timidity, trembling, and hesitation.
raised the subject with trepidation