dread

[dred]
verb (used with object)
1.
to fear greatly; be in extreme apprehension of: to dread death.
2.
to be reluctant to do, meet, or experience: I dread going to big parties.
3.
Archaic. to hold in respectful awe.
verb (used without object)
4.
to be in great fear.
noun
5.
terror or apprehension as to something in the future; great fear.
6.
a person or thing dreaded.
7.
dreads, Informal. dreadlocks.
8.
Informal. a person who wears dreadlocks.
9.
Archaic. deep awe or reverence.
00:10
Dread is one of our favorite verbs.
So is hornswoggle. Does it mean:
to chew (food) slowly and thoroughly.
to swindle, cheat, hoodwink, or hoax.
adjective
10.
greatly feared; frightful; terrible.
11.
held in awe or reverential fear.

Origin:
1125–75; Middle English dreden (v.), Old English drǣdan, aphetic variant of adrǣdan, ondrǣdan; cognate with Old High German intrātan to fear

dread·a·ble, adjective
dread·ness, noun
pre·dread, noun, verb (used with object)
un·dread·ed, adjective
un·dread·ing, adjective


5. See fear. 10. dire, dreadful, horrible.


1. welcome.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To dread
Collins
World English Dictionary
dread (drɛd) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
vb
1.  to anticipate with apprehension or terror
2.  to fear greatly
3.  archaic to be in awe of
 
n
4.  great fear; horror
5.  an object of terror
6.  slang a Rastafarian
7.  archaic deep reverence
 
adj
8.  literary awesome; awe-inspiring
 
[Old English ondrǣdan; related to Old Saxon antdrādan, Old High German intrātan]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

dread
late 12c., from O.E. ondrædan "counsel or advise against," also "fear," from on- "against," second element of uncertain origin; prefix wore off after 12c. Related: Dreaded; dreading.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia

dread

a fundamental category of existentialism. According to the 19th-century philosopher Soren Kierkegaard, dread, or angst, is a desire for what one fears and is central to his conception of original sin. For the 20th-century German philosopher Martin Heidegger, anxiety is one of the distinctive ways through which Dasein (the historical person) is disclosed as a contingent being, and thus anxiety is that through which fear first becomes possible

Learn more about dread with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
Cite This Source
Example sentences
What made me speak is my dread of the horrible publicity which clings to all
  this lousiness.
Granted, if you believe the web is already overfreighted with babble, this
  prospect will fill you with dread.
The bank says it keeps plenty of liquid reserves against the dread day.
The stench of desperation, dread and panic must be getting overpowering for you.
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
  • Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature
FAVORITES
RECENT