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Dreadful vs Frightful - What's the difference?

dreadful | frightful | Synonyms |

Frightful is a synonym of dreadful.



As adjectives the difference between dreadful and frightful

is that dreadful is causing dread; very bad while frightful is : Full of fright; affrighted; frightened.

As a noun dreadful

is a shocking or sensational crime.

dreadful

English

Alternative forms

* (l) (archaic) * (l) (obsolete)

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Causing dread; very bad.
  • * 1900 , , (The Wonderful Wizard of Oz) Chapter 23
    • "My greatest wish now," she added, "is to get back to Kansas, for Aunt Em will surely think something dreadful has happened to me, and that will make her put on mourning; and unless the crops are better this year than they were last, I am sure Uncle Henry cannot afford it."
  • *, chapter=17
    • , title= The Mirror and the Lamp , passage=This time was most dreadful for Lilian. Thrown on her own resources and almost penniless, she maintained herself and paid the rent of a wretched room near the hospital by working as a charwoman, sempstress, anything. In a moment she had dropped to the level of a casual labourer.}}
  • * {{quote-news, year=2011, date=December 10, author=Marc Higginson, work=BBC Sport
    • , title= Bolton 1-2 Aston Villa , passage=After a dreadful performance in the opening 45 minutes, they upped their game after the break and might have taken at least a point from the match.}}

    Usage notes

    * Nouns to which "dreadful" is often applied: day, night, state, news, time, secret, storm, mistake, accident, story, dream, havoc, truth, loss, act, life, thought, creature, curse, suffering.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A shocking or sensational crime.
  • A shocking or sensational report of a crime.

    • Derived terms

    * penny dreadful

    References

    * (EtymOnLine)

    frightful

    English

    (Webster 1913)

    Alternative forms

    * frightfull (archaic)

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • (obsolete): Full of fright; affrighted; frightened.
  • *
  • Full of that which causes fright; exciting alarm; impressing terror; shocking; as, a frightful chasm, or tempest; a frightful appearance.
  • (Used as an intensifier)
    • We wasted a frightful amount of money on renovations.

    Synonyms

    * terrible * dreadful * alarming * fearful * terrific * awful * horrid * horrible * shocking