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dreadfully

dreadfully

18 4.4
Shows that something is very bad, unpleasant, or extreme
  • adverb
  • /ˈdrɛd.fəl.i/
translation icon : terriblemente
  • The plan went dreadfully wrong.
  • dreadfully sorry
  • dreadfully wrong
  • dreadfully dull

And there's something dreadfully wrong when things go wrong in your life and that makes life really difficult.

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Examples

  • I'm so dreadfully sorry.

  • We're dreadfully late, you know.

  • I really am dreadfully sorry.

  • But when the child was only eight years old, her mother grew dreadfully sick.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • Poor child, this has upset you dreadfully; I can see that.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • Instead, he agreed with her that something must be dreadfully wrong.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • I would argue that our food supply is really dreadfully, dreadfully contaminated with things that are of real concern.

  • And there's something dreadfully wrong when things go wrong in your life and that makes life really difficult.

  • In some ways, this is dreadfully unsexy work, but in other ways, it's just the opposite.

    Blog text (13)
  • The movie was dreadfully boring, with no interesting plot twists.

Synonyms

badly
vsdreadfully
456 1.0

To a great degree

is more negative, specifically suggesting fear or shocking unpleasantness
terribly
vsdreadfully
378 1.0

In a very bad way

leans more toward causing fear or severe shock than poor quality
horribly
vsdreadfully
126 3.5

In a very bad or shocking way

leans more toward causing fear and alarm than general unpleasantness
awfully
vsdreadfully
70 3.0

To happen in a very bad or unpleasant way

is stronger in suggesting fear or shock rather than simple badness
harshly
vsdreadfully
49 3.5

In a severe or unkind way that feels unpleasant

is more about causing fear or shock than just severity
woefully
vsdreadfully
27 6.5

In a way that is very bad or not good enough

is more likely to stress fear and shock rather than mere lament
hideously
vsdreadfully
18 5.5

In a very ugly or shocking way

stresses causing fear more than mere ugliness
excruciatingly
vsdreadfully
16 8.2

In a very painful or strong way

is not limited to pain and often implies fear or shock
frighteningly
vsdreadfully
12 5.7

In a way that makes you feel scared

is more general for very bad events beyond simple alarm
horrendously
vsdreadfully
6 5.5

In a very bad or extreme way

is more about causing fear or shock than general intensity
egregiously
vsdreadfully
6 8.2

In an extremely bad and obvious way that shocks people

is less about clear wrongdoing and more about fear or shock
appallingly
vsdreadfully
6 6.8

Makes people feel shocked or disgusted

is more likely to stress fear and severity than mere dismay
terrifyingly
vsdreadfully
5 6.5

In a way that is very frightening or very strong to show how serious something is

is broader, also used for severe unpleasantness without fear
monstrously
vsdreadfully
5 6.8

In a very cruel and shocking way

is broader, applying to extreme unpleasantness without evil intent
agonizingly
vsdreadfully
  • US
4 7.4

In a way that causes very strong physical pain or deep worry

is more about severe unpleasantness and fear than pain alone
sickeningly
vsdreadfully
4 7.3

In a way that makes you feel disgusted or want to throw up

is broader, covering fear and shock beyond physical disgust
abysmally
vsdreadfully
4 7.0

In a very bad way that shows poor quality or failure

leans more toward causing fear or severe unpleasantness than quality alone
devilishly
vsdreadfully
4 6.2

To a very great degree

is more negative, stressing badness or fear rather than neutral intensity
horrifically
vsdreadfully
3 6.0

In a way that is very shocking or frightening

is broader, also covering strong badness without shocking details
horrifyingly
vsdreadfully
3 6.7

In a way that makes people feel very afraid or shocked

is used more widely for very bad or unpleasant matters
abominably
vsdreadfully
3 8.2

In a very rude and cruel way

is more general, covering fear and shock beyond offence
distressingly
vsdreadfully
3 6.5

In a way that makes people feel worried or unhappy

is stronger and more likely to cause fear or shock than mere distress
dismally
vsdreadfully
3 4.8

In a gloomy way that makes people feel sad or hopeless

is more focused on causing fear or shock rather than gloom
nauseatingly
vsdreadfully
3 7.0

In a way that makes you feel very disgusted or sick

is more about severe badness or fear rather than just disgust
cruelly
vsdreadfully
3 2.9

In a way that is very strong or extreme

is less about intentional unkindness and more about shock or fear
wretchedly
vsdreadfully
2 6.8

In a very sad and unhappy way

is more about shocking extreme badness than simple sadness
hellishly
vsdreadfully
2 8.8

In a very intense and unpleasant way

is more neutral, focusing on fear or shock rather than evil imagery
horridly
vsdreadfully
1 7.0

In a very bad and unpleasant way

can instead highlight fear or shock rather than disgust alone
atrociously
vsdreadfully
1 7.4

In a very bad or shocking way

is broader, covering unpleasantness without clear moral wrongdoing
damnably
vsdreadfully
  • NSFW
1 8.1

In a way that makes something very bad or annoying

is more suited to fear or shocking events rather than mere annoyance
vilely
vsdreadfully
1 8.2

In a very cruel and unfair way

is less moral in focus and more about causing fear or shock
nightmarishly
vsdreadfully
1 7.5

It happens in a very unpleasant and frightening way

is more ordinary and not limited to dreamlike fear
direly
vsdreadfully
1 7.5

In a very serious and urgent way

is more about causing fear or shock than mere urgency
harrowingly
vsdreadfully
1 8.8

In a way that causes great fear or pain

is less focused on deep emotional pain and more on shock
dismayingly
vsdreadfully
1 7.5

In a way that makes people feel surprised and upset

is more extreme, often causing fear rather than only disappointment
accursedly
vsdreadfully
  • Literature
9.3

In a way that is very bad or annoying

is less supernatural and focuses on fear or shock instead
direfully
vsdreadfully
  • Archaic
9.9

In a way that shows great fear or warns of danger

is less formal and used more for everyday extreme unpleasantness
banefully
vsdreadfully
  • Formal
9.9

In a way that causes great harm

is broader, often focusing on fear or shock rather than harm

Antonyms

50 1.0

In a friendly and enjoyable way

36 2.3

In a way that shows approval or support

How Bad

horribly
126 3.5
terribly
378 1.0
dreadfully
18 4.4
badly
285 1.0
poorly
283 1.4

Surface Forms

dreadfully positive

Morphology

dreadfully = dreadful (semi-transparent) = dread + ful + ly

The adverb is formed in the regular way from the adjective 'dreadful' with the productive suffix '-ly'.

Etymology

The word dreadfully comes from dread, meaning 'great fear', plus -ful, which means 'full of', and -ly, which turns a word into an adverb. So it originally meant 'in a way full of fear', and today dreadfully can mean 'very' or 'extremely', or sometimes 'in a frightening way'.