different between insufferable vs dreadful
insufferable
English
Etymology
in- +? sufferable
Pronunciation
- (UK) IPA(key): [?n?s?f??bl?]
- (US) enPR: ?n-s?f'?r-?-b?l, IPA(key): /?n?s?f??b?l/, [?n?s?f??bl?]
Adjective
insufferable (comparative more insufferable, superlative most insufferable)
- Not sufferable; very difficult or impossible to endure.
- 1894, Henry James, The Coxon Fund, ch. 4:
- Saltram was incapable of keeping the engagements which, after their separation, he had entered into with regard to his wife, a deeply wronged, justly resentful, quite irreproachable and insufferable person.
- 1913, Edith Wharton, The Custom of the Country, ch. 13:
- Marvell . . . thought Peter a bore in society and an insufferable nuisance on closer terms.
- 2011 June 7, "Chaos in Syria," Time:
- The oppressive heat has become insufferable in Syria — and as the temperature climbs, emotions get harder to contain.
- 1894, Henry James, The Coxon Fund, ch. 4:
Synonyms
- intolerable, unbearable
Related terms
- insufferableness
- insufferably
Translations
References
- insufferable at OneLook Dictionary Search
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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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