different between dreadful vs outrageous
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:
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outrageous
English
Alternative forms
- outragious (archaic)
Etymology
From Anglo-Norman outrageus, Middle French outrageus, from outrage; equivalent to outrage +? -ous.
Pronunciation
- (UK) IPA(key): /a?t??e?d??s/
- Rhymes: -e?d??s
Adjective
outrageous (comparative more outrageous, superlative most outrageous)
- Violating morality or decency; provoking indignation or affront. [from 14th c.]
- c. 1601, William Shakespeare, Hamlet, First Folio 1623:
- To be, or not to be, that is the Question: / Whether 'tis Nobler in the minde to suffer / The Slings and Arrowes of outragious Fortune, / Or to take Armes against a Sea of troubles, / And by opposing end them [...].
- 2011, Paul Wilson, The Guardian, 19 Oct 2011:
- The Irish-French rugby union whistler Alain Rolland was roundly condemned for his outrageous decision that lifting a player into the air then turning him over so he falls on his head or neck amounted to dangerous play.
- c. 1601, William Shakespeare, Hamlet, First Folio 1623:
- Transgressing reasonable limits; extravagant, immoderate. [from 14th c.]
- 2004, David Smith, The Observer, 19 Dec 2004:
- Audience members praised McKellen, best known for Shakespearean roles and as Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings, for his show-stealing turn as Twankey in a series of outrageous glitzy dresses.
- 2004, David Smith, The Observer, 19 Dec 2004:
- Shocking; exceeding conventional behaviour; provocative. [from 18th c.]
- 2001, Imogen Tilden, The Guardian, 8 Dec 2001:
- "It's something I really am quite nervous about," he admits, before adding, with relish: "You have to be a bit outrageous and challenging sometimes."
- 2001, Imogen Tilden, The Guardian, 8 Dec 2001:
- (now rare) Fierce, violent. [from 14th c.]
- 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, III.4:
- For els my feeble vessell, crazd and crackt / Through thy strong buffets and outrageous blowes, / Cannot endure, but needes it must be wrackt [...].
- 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, III.4:
Derived terms
- outrageously
- outrageousness
Related terms
- outrage
Translations
Further reading
- outrageous in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
- outrageous in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
outrageous From the web:
- what outrageous means
- what outrageous you
- what's outrageous in german
- outrageous what does it mean
- outrageous what is the definition
- what is outrageous in tagalog
- what do outrageous mean
- what does outrageous
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