as in terrifying
causing fear
every ship on the Spanish Main was terrified of running into the dread pirate
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in worry
suspicion or fear of future harm or misfortune
the dread felt by people awaiting bad news
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in fear
the emotion experienced in the presence or threat of danger
we were filled with dread when we saw the rapids we would be rafting down
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in terror
something or someone that causes fear or dread especially without reason
speaking in public is a perennial dread for many people
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dread
William Earl, Variety, 9 Apr. 2025
Now, for some people in small towns, those familiar faces trigger avoidance, even dread.
—Laura Backstrom, Scientific American, 8 May 2025
Arkansas Online, 22 May 2025
The old oil town, with its beige parking garages that form a girdle around nondescript towers in gray and black — Bank of Oklahoma, Cherokee Federal — was exactly the kind of American city that filled me with dread.
—Andrew Moore, New York Times, 15 May 2025
Zach Montague, New York Times, 13 May 2025
The optimistic view of this new information is that Chicago at least fired the incompetent coaching staff that Williams and his father dreaded prior to a disappointing rookie year.
—Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 15 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for dread
Adjective
Mixing creeping dread with the tough realization that they might be stuck driving forever, the actors behave like actual disillusioned youth, striving to hold onto their humanity as the odometer ticks away endlessly.
—William Earl, Variety, 9 Apr. 2025
Now, for some people in small towns, those familiar faces trigger avoidance, even dread.
—Laura Backstrom, Scientific American, 8 May 2025
Noun
The fetch's grotesque rotting appearance masks the film's true horror, which lies not in blood, guts or gore but rather in dread.
—Arkansas Online, 22 May 2025
The old oil town, with its beige parking garages that form a girdle around nondescript towers in gray and black — Bank of Oklahoma, Cherokee Federal — was exactly the kind of American city that filled me with dread.
—Andrew Moore, New York Times, 15 May 2025
Verb
Employees at other agencies have been dreading the upcoming announcements and have received minimal information about who will be affected.
—Zach Montague, New York Times, 13 May 2025
The optimistic view of this new information is that Chicago at least fired the incompetent coaching staff that Williams and his father dreaded prior to a disappointing rookie year.
—Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 15 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for dread
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dread
Adjective
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May has been equally terrifying for Ukrainian civilians.—
Ivana Kottasová,
CNN Money,
27 May 2025
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As the mysterious contract killer Vincent, Cruise brings his usual on-screen qualities — strict professionalism, precise physicality, ruthless persistence — but turns them on their head to embody a terrifying, amoral murderer.—
Wesley Stenzel,
EW.com,
24 May 2025
Noun
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Because of the outsize anticipation, initial reports of delays and extensive rewrites on Season 2 created worries that the series’ intricate narrative puzzle might implode.—
Tim Grierson,
Los Angeles Times,
2 June 2025
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There happens to be one available that would help ease any worry about Bosa's injury issues throughout the year.—
Evan Massey,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 May 2025
Noun
-
Such a low number spurred fears the ongoing trade war may finally be starting to affect the economy’s hard data.—
Paolo Confino,
Fortune,
4 June 2025
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Exploiting this vulnerability, 764 members tend to elicit fear by threatening to share a victim’s explicit or harmful content with family and friends or publicly online, ultimately forcing them to comply with their demands.—
Alex Vance,
Parents,
4 June 2025
Noun
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In the trailer, LAPD detective Mark Meachum (Ackles) is recruited to be part of an elite team tasked with preventing a large scale terror attack in Los Angeles.—
Joe Otterson,
Variety,
28 May 2025
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Hamas and other militant groups kidnapped 251 people from Israel during the October 7, 2023 terror attacks.—
Jeremy Diamond,
CNN Money,
28 May 2025
Adjective
-
The ensuing action is gory and frightening — and even Wong got a little spooked by Hawkins.—
Eric Andersson,
People.com,
31 May 2025
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This is incredibly damaging to career prospects and, given how little knowledge exists in mainstream medical and occupational health circles, can feel confusing and frightening for those who don’t know where to turn for advice.—
Nancy Doyle,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2025
Noun
-
Millennials courageously started talking openly about therapy, anxiety, and depression, breaking decades of stigma.—
Charell G. Coleman,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2025
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Trousdale’s songs adroitly address female empowerment, loss, heartbreak, anxiety, mental health and other subjects while striking a winning balance between melancholia and buoyancy.—
George Varga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 May 2025
Noun
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The pathogen has fueled three major plague pandemics since the first century AD, and though its deadliest years appear to be behind us, plague hasn’t disappeared.—
Mindy Weisberger,
CNN Money,
3 June 2025
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The results revealed that pla depletion decreases the virulence and increases the length of plague infections in mice.—
Sam Walters,
Discover Magazine,
31 May 2025
Adjective
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Unlike Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights, this world is more foreboding than scary, but as guests quickly learn from its can’t-miss attraction Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment, monsters still shouldn’t be crossed.—
Eve Chen,
USA Today,
26 May 2025
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But Game 3 of the Western Conference final was a scary reminder that McDavid has another side to his offensive arsenal.—
Daniel Nugent-Bowman,
New York Times,
26 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dread.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dread. Accessed 7 Jun. 2025.
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