Word familyadjectivedreadeddreadfuldreadlessdreadlockednoundreaderdreadfulnessdreadlessnessdreadlocksdreadnoughtdreadadverbdreadfullydreadlesslydreadly
2[only before noun]BAD used to emphasize how bad something or someone is 极糟的,可怕的〔用于强调〕SYN terrible
a dreadful mistake
可怕的错误
nGrammar
Dreadful is not used with ‘very’. You say:
The food was absolutely dreadful.
✗Don’t say: The food was very dreadful.
Examples from the Corpus
dreadful• "How did you like the film?'' "I thought it was dreadful.''• The coffeetasteddreadful!• Sleazy and tedious, the film would need to improve a few rungs to be classified as merely dreadful.• The Reformers might be followers of Erasmus; but they had no hesitation in drowning the dreadful Anabaptists.• And in any case, what Lucy may have done was surely not so dreadful and will be soon forgotten.• In a medicalcentre they found dreadful cases of malnutrition, scabies and diarrhoea.• Then she had the dreadful feeling that he was not going to answer her anyway, for he said nothing.• The doctor wouldn't allow sedatives, or painkillers when he had those dreadfulheadaches.• Young made two dreadfulmistakes.• Ah, it's dreadful, sometimes.