penny dreadful

See synonyms for penny dreadful on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural penny dreadfuls.Chiefly British.
  1. a cheap, sensational novel of adventure, crime, or violence; dime novel.

Origin of penny dreadful

1
First recorded in 1870–75

Words Nearby penny dreadful

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use penny dreadful in a sentence

  • Transcriber's Note: This book was originally published in "penny dreadful" form.

    Varney the Vampire | Thomas Preskett Prest

British Dictionary definitions for penny-dreadful

penny-dreadful

nounplural -fuls
  1. British informal a cheap, often lurid or sensational book or magazine

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