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dread
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- pronunciation:
- dred
- parts of speech:
- transitive verb, intransitive verb, noun, adjective
- phrases:
- dread to think
- features:
- Word Combinations (verb, noun, adjective), Word Explorer, Grammatical Patterns
| part of speech: |
transitive verb |
| inflections: |
dreads, dreading, dreaded |
| definition 1: |
to be very afraid of or deeply apprehensive about.
He dreads the possibility of war.They're so late, and I dread to think what might have happened to them.[verb + infinitive
]
- synonyms:
- fear
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| definition 2: |
to look forward to with anxiety or dislike.
She dreads visits from her mother-in-law.I dread having to make this speech next week.[verb + gerund
]
Can't you stay? I dread your leaving me here all by myself.[verb + possessive adj + gerund
]
- synonyms:
- fear
- similar words:
- apprehend, forebode
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| part of speech: |
intransitive verb |
| definition: |
to have fear or apprehension.
The prisoners no longer hope; they only dread.- synonyms:
- fear
- antonyms:
- yearn
- similar words:
- cower, cringe, quail, recoil, shiver, shudder, shy, tremble
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| related words: |
worry |
adverb + (v.)dread
halfway, secretly
(v.)dread
+ noun
arrival,
birthday,
call,
confrontation,
day,
encounter,
foreboding,
fury,
goodbye,
gym,
holiday,
hunger,
loneliness,
military,
moment,
possibility,
return,
ritual,
rumor,
scenario,
sin,
sleep,
task,
thought,
trip,
visit,
walk
[See all][See only the most frequent]
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| part of speech: |
noun |
| definition 1: |
great fear; a terrifying anticipation of something.
His dread of failure kept him from pursuing his dream.She lived in dread of her abuser returning.- synonyms:
- fear, fright, horror, terror, trepidation
- similar words:
- alarm, angst, anxiety, apprehension, consternation, dismay, funk, jitters, panic, the willies
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| definition 2: |
that which is greatly feared.
The oral exam is his greatest dread.- synonyms:
- fear, fright, horror, terror
- similar words:
- anxiety, bête noire, bogy, bugaboo
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| related words: |
foreboding, fright, worry |
adjective + (n.)dread
apocalyptic,
awful,
cold,
constant,
creeping,
deepening,
deepest,
distinct,
existential,
extreme,
familiar,
full,
growing,
horrible,
impending,
mortal,
nameless,
natty,
odd,
ominous,
overwhelming,
palpable,
peculiar,
pervasive,
pure,
sick,
sudden,
superstitious,
terrible,
ugly,
unmistakable,
vague
[See all][See only the most frequent]
verb + (n.)dread
anticipate,
approach,
arouse,
contract,
cringe,
evoke,
experience,
feel,
fill,
freeze,
haunt,
inspire,
mingle,
mount,
overcome,
regard,
sense,
shiver,
sink,
swallow,
wake
[See all][See only the most frequent]
(n.)dread
+ verb
creep, engulf, fear, grip, long, rush, seize, settle, tighten, twist, wash
noun + (n.)dread
anticipation,
anxiety,
apprehension,
braid,
chill,
decline,
excitement,
fascination,
fear,
feeling,
guilt,
happiness,
heart,
hope,
horror,
mix,
mixture,
neighbor,
pang,
panic,
prospect,
relief,
rush,
sensation,
sense,
shame,
shiver,
superstition,
thrill,
throat,
undercurrent,
wolf,
wonder
[See all][See only the most frequent]
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| part of speech: |
adjective |
| definition 1: |
producing great fear; terrifying; dreaded; dreadful.
Polio had been a dread disease before the development of an effective vaccine.- synonyms:
- fearful, frightful, ghastly, horrible, horrid, horrifying, terrible, terrifying
- similar words:
- abhorrent, alarming, appalling, formidable, grisly, gruesome, ominous, shocking
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| definition 2: |
inducing a feeling of awe.
The dread words of the minister stunned the congregation.- synonyms:
- awesome, fearsome, formidable, redoubtable
- similar words:
- awful, mighty
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| related words: |
dire, macabre |
adverb + (adj.)dread
most
(adj.)dread
+ noun
disease
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| phrase: |
dread to think |
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