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Dreadful vs Rubbish - What's the difference?

dreadful | rubbish |

As adjectives the difference between dreadful and rubbish

is that dreadful is causing dread; very bad while rubbish is (chiefly|au|nz|british|colloquial) exceedingly bad; awful; terrible; crappy.

As nouns the difference between dreadful and rubbish

is that dreadful is a shocking or sensational crime while rubbish is garbage, junk, refuse, waste.

As an interjection rubbish is

(colloquial) expresses that something is exceedingly bad, terrible or awful.

As a verb rubbish is

to denounce, to criticise, to denigrate, to disparage.

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)

    rubbish

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • (chiefly, AU, NZ, British, colloquial) Exceedingly bad; awful; terrible; crappy.
    • This has been a rubbish day, and it's about to get worse: my mother-in-law is coming to stay.

    Interjection

  • (colloquial) Expresses that something is exceedingly bad, terrible or awful.
    • The one day I actually practice my violin, the teacher cancels the lesson.
    Aw, rubbish ! Though at least this means you have time to play football...
  • Expresses that what was recently said is untruth or nonsense.
    • Rubbish! I did nothing of the sort!

    Synonyms

    * (expresses that what was recently said is untruth or nonsense) nonsense, bullshit, bollocks

    Noun

    (wikipedia rubbish) (-)
  • Garbage, junk, refuse, waste.
    • The rubbish is collected every Thursday in Gloucester, but on Wednesdays in Cheltenham.
  • Nonsense.
    • Everything the teacher said during that lesson was rubbish . How can she possibly think that a bass viol and a cello are the same thing?
  • Fragments of buildings; ruins; debris.
  • * Dryden
    • He saw the town's one half in rubbish lie.

    Synonyms

    * See also * See also

    Derived terms

    * rubbish bin

    Related terms

    * rubble

    Verb

    (es)
  • To denounce, to criticise, to denigrate, to disparage.

    • Derived terms

    * rubbisher

    References