/dɹɛd/
OriginFrom Middle English dreden, from Old English drǣdan (“to fear, dread”), aphetic form of ondrǣdan (“to fear, dread”), from Proto-West Germanic *andarādan, equivalent to Old English and- + rǣdan (whence read); corresponding to an aphesis of earlier adread.
Akin to Old Saxon antdrādan, andrādan (“to fear, dread”), Old High German intrātan (“to fear”), Middle High German entrāten (“to fear, dread, frighten”).
- transitiveTo fear greatly.
- To anticipate with fear.
“I'm dreading getting the results of the test, as it could decide my whole life.”
“Day by day, hole by hole our bearing reins were shortened, and instead of looking forward with pleasure to having my harness put on as I used to do, I began to dread it.”
- intransitiveTo be in dread, or great fear.
“Dread not, neither be afraid of them.”
- transitiveTo style (the hair) into dreadlocks.
- countable, uncountableGreat fear in view of impending evil; fearful apprehension of danger; anticipatory terror.
“My visit to the doctor is filling me with dread.”
“the secret dread of divine displeasure”
“the dread of something after death”
- countable, uncountableReverential or respectful fear; awe.
“The fear of you, and the dread of you, shall be upon every beast of the earth.”
“His sceptre shows the force of temporal power, / The attribute to awe and majesty, / Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings.”
- countable, uncountableSomebody or something dreaded.
- countable, obsolete, uncountableA person highly revered.
- countable, obsolete, uncountableFury; dreadfulness.
“The mightie ones, affrayd of every chaunges dread”
- countable, uncountableA Rastafarian.
- abbreviation, alt-of, clipping, countable, in-pluralClipping of dreadlock.
“Jesus Christ had dreads / So shake 'em / I ain't got none / But I'm planning on growing some.”
- abbreviation, alt-of, clipping, countable, historicalClipping of dreadnought.
“The Royal Navy sent six dreads and four BCs to intercept the German raiding force.”
- Terrible; greatly feared; dreaded.
“With cat-like tread / Upon our prey we steal / In silence dread / Our cautious way we feel”
“I even remember thinking that no human being would go down that dread path again.”
“1980, Donald Fagen; Walter Becker (lyrics and music), "Glamour Profession" in Gaucho, track 3: "Jack with his radar / Stalking the dread moray eel"”
- archaicAwe-inspiring; held in fearful awe.
“The acts made in the first Parliament of our most high and dread soveraigne Charles [I], by the grace of God, King of Great Britaine, France, and Ireland, defender of the faith, &c. […] [book title]”
Formsdreads(present, singular, third-person) · dreading(participle, present) · dreaded(participle, past) · dreaded(past) · dreads(plural) · dreader(comparative) · dreadest(superlative)