Dreadful
Dreadful adjective - Causing fear.
Unfortunate and dreadful are semantically related. In some cases you can use "Unfortunate" instead an adjective "Dreadful".
Unfortunate
Unfortunate adjective - Of a kind to cause great distress.
Usage example: an unfortunate choice of words that would later prove to be embarrassing for the talk show host
Dreadful and unfortunate are semantically related. Sometimes you can use "Dreadful" instead an adjective "Unfortunate".
Nearby Word: unfortunately
Mutual synonyms
Related pairs
Both words in one sentence
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A Series of Unfortunate Events parodies these quite beautifully with a fictitious novel (or movie if you feel inclined to watch a dreadful movie like A Series of Unfortunate Events.) called The Littlest Elf.
Source: Sugar Bowl - After an unfortunate incident involving a pocket watch and the Empress of All China, Eddie is sent off to an orphanage and must use his wits to escape.In the second book, Dreadful Acts, Eddie's family has moved into Awful End with his aunt and uncle.
Cite this Source
Unfortunate and Dreadful. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 01, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/dreadful/unfortunate
Dreadful & Unfortunate. N.p., 2016. Web. 01 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/dreadful/unfortunate>.
Unfortunate or Dreadful. 2016. Accessed August 01, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/dreadful/unfortunate.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "dreadful" and "unfortunate" have occurred on timeline