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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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| phrase: |
dread to think |
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