different between dreadful vs abhorrent
dreadful
English
Alternative forms
- dreadfull
- dredful (obsolete)
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /?d??d.f?l/
Etymology
From Middle English dredful, dredfull, dredeful (also dreful), equivalent to dread +? -ful.
Adjective
dreadful (comparative more dreadful, superlative most dreadful)
- Full of something causing dread, whether
- Genuinely horrific, awful, or alarming; dangerous, risky.
- 1900, L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Chapter 23:
- "...Aunt Em will surely think something dreadful has happened to me, and that will make her put on mourning..."
- 1900, L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Chapter 23:
- (hyperbolic) Unpleasant, awful, very bad (also used as an intensifier).
- 1682, T. Creech's translation of Lucretius, De Natura Rerum, Book II, 52:
- Here some... Look dreadful gay in their own sparkling blood.
- 1682, T. Creech's translation of Lucretius, De Natura Rerum, Book II, 52:
- (obsolete) Awesome, awe-inspiring, causing feelings of reverence.
- Genuinely horrific, awful, or alarming; dangerous, risky.
- (obsolete) Full of dread, whether
- Scared, afraid, frightened.
- Timid, easily frightened.
- Reverential, full of pious awe.
Adverb
dreadful (comparative more dreadful, superlative most dreadful)
- (informal) Dreadfully.
Usage notes
The senses of "dreadful" synonymous with "afraid" similarly use the infinitive or the preposition "of": they were dreadful to build or the boy was dreadful of his majesty. These senses are, however, now obsolete.
When used as an intensifier, "dreadful" is actually a form of the adverb "dreadfully" and thus considered informal or vulgar.
Synonyms
- See Thesaurus:frightening
- See Thesaurus:bad
Derived terms
- dreadfully
- dreadfulness
Translations
Noun
dreadful (plural dreadfuls)
- A shocker: a report of a crime written in a provokingly lurid style.
- A journal or broadsheet printing such reports.
- A shocking or sensational crime.
Derived terms
- penny dreadful
Further reading
- Oxford English Dictionary, 1884–1928, and First Supplement, 1933.
dreadful From the web:
- what dreadful means
- what dreadful situation is knox referring to
- what dreadful dole is here
- what dreadful oracle was cited in the story
- what does dreadful mean
- what is meant by dreadful
abhorrent
English
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin abhorr?ns, abhorr?ntis, present active participle of abhorre? (“abhor”). Equivalent to abhor +? -ent.
Pronunciation
- (UK) IPA(key): /æb?(h)??.?nt/, /?b?(h)??.?nt/
- (US) IPA(key): /æb?h??.?nt/, /æb?h??.?nt/
Adjective
abhorrent (comparative more abhorrent, superlative most abhorrent)
- (archaic) Inconsistent with, or far removed from, something; strongly opposed [Late 16th century.]
- Contrary to something; discordant. [Mid 17th century.]
- Abhorring; detesting; having or showing abhorrence; loathing. [Mid 18th century.]
- Detestable or repugnant. [Early 19th century.]
Usage notes
- Nouns to which abhorrent is often applied: behavior, act, crime, practice, thing.
- (opposed): abhorrent is typically followed by from.
- (contrary): abhorrent is followed by to.
Related terms
Translations
References
Further reading
- abhorrent in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
- abhorrent in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
- abhorrent at OneLook Dictionary Search
Anagrams
- earthborn
French
Verb
abhorrent
- third-person plural present indicative of abhorrer
- third-person plural present subjunctive of abhorrer
Latin
Verb
abhorrent
- third-person plural present active indicative of abhorre?
abhorrent From the web:
- what abhorrent means
- what abhorrent in french
- abhorrent what is the definition
- abhorrent what is the opposite
- what does abhorrent mean in the bible
- what does abhorrent
- what is abhorrent behavior
- what do abhorrent mean
you may also like
- dreadful vs abhorrent
- untied vs unchained
- contortion vs maze
- course vs throes
- proposal vs wish
- stricture vs choking
- torment vs grief
- hardship vs deterioration
- host vs press
- dull vs slack
- fuggy vs sweltering
- swift vs nimblefooted
- vindictive vs sullen
- stymie vs frustrate
- woeful vs unfortunate
- willingness vs endorsement
- resourcefulness vs distinction
- commentary vs version
- report vs release
- shocking vs vile