DREAD: Synonyms and Related Words. What is Another Word for DREAD?

Need another word that means the same as “dread”? Find 45 synonyms and 30 related words for “dread” in this overview.

The synonyms of “Dread” are: fear, be afraid of, worry about, be anxious about, have forebodings about, feel apprehensive about, stand in awe of, regard with awe, revere, reverence, venerate, respect, apprehension, apprehensiveness, fearfulness, trepidation, anxiety, worry, concern, foreboding, disquiet, disquietude, unease, uneasiness, angst, awful, dire, direful, dreaded, dreadful, fearful, fearsome, frightening, horrendous, horrific, terrible, alarming, terrifying, frightful, horrible, awe-inspiring, awesome, impressive, amazing

Dread as a Noun

Definitions of "Dread" as a noun

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “dread” as a noun can have the following definitions:

• Dreadlocks.
• Fearful expectation or anticipation.
• A person with dreadlocks.
• A sudden take-off and flight of a flock of gulls or other birds.
• Great fear or apprehension.

Synonyms of "Dread" as a noun (14 Words)

angst	A feeling of persistent worry about something trivial. Rock and pop have a tradition of celebrating adolescent angst.
anxiety	A relatively permanent state of worry and nervousness occurring in a variety of mental disorders, usually accompanied by compulsive behavior or attacks of panic. He felt a surge of anxiety.
apprehension	Anxiety or fear that something bad or unpleasant will happen. They acted with intent to prevent lawful apprehension.
apprehensiveness	Fearful expectation or anticipation.
concern	Something or someone that causes anxiety; a source of unhappiness. New York traffic is a constant concern.
disquiet	A feeling of worry or unease. Public disquiet about animal testing.
disquietude	Feelings of anxiety that make you tense and irritable. Such passages reflect a sense of disquietude of alienation even.
fear	A mixed feeling of dread and reverence. Fear of unemployment is paralysing the economy.
fearfulness	The trait of being afraid.
foreboding	A feeling of evil to come. A steadily escalating sense of foreboding.
trepidation	A feeling of alarm or dread. The men set off in fear and trepidation.
unease	Anxiety or discontent. Public unease about defence policy.
uneasiness	Inability to rest or relax or be still. I sensed the uneasiness of people around me.
worry	A strong feeling of anxiety. It is not work but worry that kills.

Usage Examples of "Dread" as a noun

• Lyon combed his fingers through Curtis' dreads.
• The band appeals to dreads and baldheads alike.
• The thought of returning to London filled her with dread.
• Flocks of wood sandpiper, often excitable, noisy, and given to dreads.
• I used to have a dread of Friday afternoons.

Dread as a Verb

Definitions of "Dread" as a verb

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “dread” as a verb can have the following definitions:

• Anticipate with great apprehension or fear.
• Regard with great awe or reverence.
• Be afraid or scared of; be frightened of.

Synonyms of "Dread" as a verb (12 Words)

be afraid of	Represent, as of a character on stage.
be anxious about	Be identical to; be someone or something.
fear	Regard with feelings of respect and reverence; consider hallowed or exalted or be in awe of. I shall buy her book though not I fear the hardback version.
feel apprehensive about	Pass one’s hands over the sexual organs of.
have forebodings about	Cause to do; cause to act in a specified manner.
regard with awe	Look at attentively.
respect	Show respect towards. The crown and its ministers ought to respect the ordinary law.
revere	Regard with feelings of respect and reverence consider hallowed or exalted or be in awe of. C zanne s still lifes were revered by his contemporaries.
reverence	Regard with feelings of respect and reverence consider hallowed or exalted or be in awe of. The many divine beings reverenced by Hindu tradition.
stand in awe of	Have or maintain a position or stand on an issue.
venerate	Regard with feelings of respect and reverence; consider hallowed or exalted or be in awe of. Philip of Beverley was venerated as a saint.
worry about	Touch or rub constantly.

Usage Examples of "Dread" as a verb

• The man whom Henry dreaded as the future champion of English freedom.
• I dread to think what Russell will say.
• Jane was dreading the party.

Dread as an Adjective

Definitions of "Dread" as an adjective

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “dread” as an adjective can have the following definitions:

• Regarded with awe; greatly revered.
• Causing fear or dread or terror.
• Greatly feared; dreadful.

Synonyms of "Dread" as an adjective (19 Words)

alarming	Frightening because of an awareness of danger. Our countryside is disappearing at an alarming rate.
amazing	Very impressive; excellent. She does an amazing amount of work.
awe-inspiring	Inspiring awe or admiration or wonder.
awesome	Inspiring awe or admiration or wonder. The awesome complexity of the universe.
awful	Inspired by a feeling of fearful wonderment or reverence. I look awful in a swimsuit.
dire	Of a very poor quality. The concert was dire.
direful	Causing fear or dread or terror. A career or vengeance so direful that London was shocked.
dreaded	Causing fear or dread or terror. The dreaded news came that Joe had been wounded.
dreadful	Extremely disagreeable. I feel dreadful I hate myself.
fearful	Lacking courage; ignobly timid and faint-hearted. Fearful of criticism.
fearsome	Frightening, especially in appearance. The cat mewed displaying a fearsome set of teeth.
frightening	Causing fear or dread or terror. A frightening experience.
frightful	Provoking horror- Winston Churchill. There s been a most frightful accident.
horrendous	Extremely unpleasant, horrifying, or terrible. She suffered horrendous injuries.
horrible	Provoking horror. War is beyond all words horrible.
horrific	Grossly offensive to decency or morality; causing horror. Horrific conditions in the mining industry.
impressive	Making a strong or vivid impression. Impressive achievements in science.
terrible	Very unskilful. The terrible conditions in which the ordinary people lived.
terrifying	Causing extreme fear. A terrifying wail.

Usage Examples of "Dread" as an adjective

• That dread being we dare oppose.
• He was stricken with the dread disease and died.
• Polio is no longer the dreaded disease it once was.
• The dread presence of the headmaster.
• A dreadful storm.

Associations of "Dread" (30 Words)

afraid	Filled with regret or concern; used often to soften an unpleasant statement. She was afraid that he would be angry.
alarm	An alarm clock. I set my alarm for 6 30.
alarming	Frightening because of an awareness of danger. Our countryside is disappearing at an alarming rate.
angst	An acute but unspecific feeling of anxiety; usually reserved for philosophical anxiety about the world or about personal freedom. My hair causes me angst.
appall	Strike with disgust or revulsion.
apprehension	Anxiety or fear that something bad or unpleasant will happen. She had some apprehensions about the filming.
awe	Inspire with awe. They were both awed by the vastness of the forest.
chilling	Horrifying or frightening. A chilling account of the prisoners fate.
claustrophobia	Extreme or irrational fear of confined places. The small stuffy room had begun to give him claustrophobia.
dreadful	(of a person) unwell or troubled. The weather was dreadful.
fear	A feeling of profound respect for someone or something. The love and fear of God.
fearfulness	The trait of being afraid.
fearsome	Frightening, especially in appearance. The cat mewed displaying a fearsome set of teeth.
fright	Frighten. The stranger who hangs around the building frightens me.
frighten	Drive out by frightening. The government denies legal responsibility presumably to frighten off other claimants.
frightening	Causing fear or dread or terror. A frightening experience.
haunt	Haunt like a ghost pursue. Cities haunted by the shadow of cholera.
horrific	Causing horror. Horrific injuries.
horror	Something that inspires horror something horrible. Children screamed in horror.
monstrosity	A thing, especially a building, which is very large and unsightly. The shopping centre a multi storey monstrosity of raw concrete.
panic	Drive someone through panic into hasty action. He ran to the library in a blind panic.
petrify	Change into stone. Slogans petrify our thinking.
scare	Become scared. The event was postponed earlier this year due to the foot and mouth scare.
scared	Made afraid. I wasn t scared at all.
scary	Provoking fear terror. A scary movie.
terrible	Extremely unpleasant or disagreeable. A terrible curse.
terrify	Fill with terror; frighten greatly. The thought terrifies me.
terrifying	Causing extreme fear. A terrifying wail.
terror	Terrorism. People fled in terror.
thriller	A novel, play, or film with an exciting plot, typically involving crime or espionage. A tense thriller about a diamond heist that goes badly wrong.