Dread
Dread adjective - Causing fear.
Usage example: every ship on the Spanish Main was terrified of running into the dread pirate
Dreadful is a synonym for dread in terrible topic. In some cases you can use "Dreadful" instead the word "Dread" as an adjective or a noun, when it comes to topics like horrible, awful, frightening. popular alternative
Mutual synonyms
Related pairs
Cite this Source
Dreadful and Dread. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/dread/dreadful
Dread & Dreadful. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/dread/dreadful>.
Dreadful or Dread. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/dread/dreadful.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "dread" and "dreadful" have occurred on timeline