dread
Americanverb (used with object)
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to fear greatly; be in extreme apprehension of.
to dread death.
- Antonyms:
- welcome
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to be reluctant to do, meet, or experience.
I dread going to big parties.
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Archaic. to hold in respectful awe.
verb (used without object)
noun
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terror or apprehension as to something in the future; great fear.
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a person or thing dreaded.
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Informal. dreads, dreadlocks.
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Informal. a person who wears dreadlocks.
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Archaic. deep awe or reverence.
verb
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to anticipate with apprehension or terror
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to fear greatly
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archaic to be in awe of
noun
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great fear; horror
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an object of terror
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slang a Rastafarian
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archaic deep reverence
adjective
Synonym Usage
See fear.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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dreadsimple
-
dreadssimple
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have dreadedperfect
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has dreadedperfect
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am dreadingprogressive
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are dreadingprogressive
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is dreadingprogressive
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have been dreadingperfect progressive
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has been dreadingperfect progressive
Past
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dreadedsimple
-
had dreadedperfect
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was dreadingprogressive
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were dreadingprogressive
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had been dreadingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of dread
First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English dreden (verb), Old English drǣdan, aphetic variant of adrǣdan, ondrǣdan; cognate with Old High German intrātan “to fear”
Explanation
The noun dread describes the fear of something bad happening, like the dread you feel when walking alone on a deserted street in the dark. Dread is a feeling of fear, but it can also be the desire to avoid something. For example, many people feel dread at the very thought of speaking in front of an audience. As a verb, dread means "to fear or not want something to happen," like students who did not study and as a result, dread getting their graded tests back. As an adjective, dread means "frightening or terrifying," like a dread monster.
Vocabulary lists containing dread
The Grim Reader: Wicked Words of Grave Importance for Halloween
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Uncanny, Creepy, or Downright Scary: Words For Halloween
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"The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
It’s really no wonder that Neill would go on to play characters who echoed Mark’s descent into madness, splitting off into equally extraordinary works of spine-tingling creature feature dread.
From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2026
These emotional first-aid kits are stocked with items meant to ease acute symptoms ranging from worry or dread to a racing heart and upset stomach.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
"This is an easily defanged myth that has generated dread, panic, and real-life consequences," said William Hayes, professor of biology at Loma Linda University School of Medicine and the study's lead researcher.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 10, 2026
Under the blazing sun, dozens of families wait with a mixture of anguish and dread.
From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026
A slow dread clawed its way up her insides, seizing at her throat with long, vicious fingers.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
She dreads the day a doctor may offer her the option: an indication that the state is resigned to give up on people like her.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 11, 2025
Ferrara admits she could also just drive to the Nevada city, but she dreads the prospect of a four-hour-plus ride.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 8, 2025
She now tries to get abroad at least once a year, but dreads flying because she does not know what assistance she will receive from the airport and airline.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2025
The constant radio chatter — which includes the unlikely announcing voice of legendary documentarian Frederick Wiseman — doesn’t give the era away, nor do the younger characters’ hairstyles, since mullets and dreads endure.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 14, 2025
Dad: But you don’t even have dreads, Genie.
From "As Brave As You" by Jason Reynolds
Anything that drifts too close to the dreaded category of “dump and stir,” a phrase that has done real reputational harm to a perfectly sensible technique?
From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026
These sessions, along with daily Dharma talks, both of which I’d dreaded, turned out to be the retreat’s highlight.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026
Framed this way, mathematicians are not in a race against A.I.s, waiting for the dreaded Kasparov moment when we become supplanted.
From Slate ● Jun. 22, 2026
But then he added the dreaded words “for now.”
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 17, 2026
I left my cell phone and shoes in the Forbidden Basket and made the dreaded walk to the Speaking Stump.
From "Klawde: Evil Alien Warlord Cat" by Johnny Marciano and Emily Chenoweth
"We were dreading him coming back", they said.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
“When you get on a plane, you know you’re that guy that everybody is dreading sitting next to.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 7, 2026
The couple is among thousands of immigrant parents hiding in their homes in Minneapolis, dreading that federal agents will come knocking.
From Barron's ● Feb. 2, 2026
The scene everyone is dreading and/or waiting for doesn’t exist, so what exists in its place?
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 25, 2025
I can only watch helplessly as it drags me into a day that I’ve been dreading for months.
From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.