Dreadful and Heartrending

Dreadful

Dreadful adjective - Causing fear.

Heartrending and dreadful are semantically related. In some cases you can use "Heartrending" instead an adjective "Dreadful".

Nearby Words: dread, dreadfully, dreaded, dreading

Heartrending

Heartrending adjective - Hard to accept or bear especially emotionally.
Usage example: a heartrending choice between saving his daughter or his son

Dreadful and heartrending are semantically related. Sometimes you can use "Dreadful" instead an adjective "Heartrending".
Cite this Source
Heartrending and Dreadful. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 08, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/dreadful/heartrending
Dreadful & Heartrending. N.p., 2016. Web. 08 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/dreadful/heartrending>.
Heartrending or Dreadful. 2016. Accessed August 08, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/dreadful/heartrending.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "dreadful" and "heartrending" have occurred on timeline