dread

dread
    adj 1: causing fear or dread or terror; "the awful war"; "an
           awful risk"; "dire news"; "a career or vengeance so
           direful that London was shocked"; "the dread presence of
           the headmaster"; "polio is no longer the dreaded disease
           it once was"; "a dreadful storm"; "a fearful howling";
           "horrendous explosions shook the city"; "a terrible
           curse" [syn: {awful}, {dire}, {direful}, {dread(a)},
           {dreaded}, {dreadful}, {fearful}, {fearsome},
           {frightening}, {horrendous}, {horrific}, {terrible}]
    n 1: fearful expectation or anticipation; "the student looked
         around the examination room with apprehension" [syn:
         {apprehension}, {apprehensiveness}, {dread}]
    v 1: be afraid or scared of; be frightened of; "I fear the
         winters in Moscow"; "We should not fear the Communists!"
         [syn: {fear}, {dread}]
    

Dread \Dread\ (dr[e^]d), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Dreaded}; p. pr. &
   vb. n. {Dreading}.] [AS. dr[=ae]dan, in comp.; akin to OS.
   dr[=a]dan, OHG. tr[=a]tan, both only in comp.]
   To fear in a great degree; to regard, or look forward to,
   with terrific apprehension.
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         When at length the moment dreaded through so many years
         came close, the dark cloud passed away from Johnson's
         mind.                                    --Macaulay.
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Dread \Dread\, a.
   1. Exciting great fear or apprehension; causing terror;
      frightful; dreadful.
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            A dread eternity! how surely mine.    --Young.
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   2. Inspiring with reverential fear; awful' venerable; as,
      dread sovereign; dread majesty; dread tribunal.
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Dread \Dread\, v. i.
   To be in dread, or great fear.
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         Dread not, neither be afraid of them.    --Deut. i. 29.
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Dread \Dread\, n.
   1. Great fear in view of impending evil; fearful apprehension
      of danger; anticipatory terror.
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            The secret dread of divine displeasure. --Tillotson.
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            The dread of something after death.   --Shak.
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   2. Reverential or respectful fear; awe.
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            The fear of you, and the dread of you, shall be upon
            every beast of the earth.             --Gen. ix. 2.
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            His scepter shows the force of temporal power,
            The attribute to awe and majesty,
            Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings.
                                                  --Shak.
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   3. An object of terrified apprehension.
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   4. A person highly revered. [Obs.] "Una, his dear dread."
      --Spenser.
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   5. Fury; dreadfulness. [Obs.] --Spenser.
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   6. Doubt; as, out of dread. [Obs.] --Chaucer.

   Syn: Awe; fear; affright; terror; horror; dismay;
        apprehension. See {Reverence}.
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163 Moby Thesaurus words for "dread":
      abject fear, affright, agitation, alarm, all-overs, angst, anguish,
      anticipate, anticipation, anxiety, anxiety hysteria,
      anxiety neurosis, anxious bench, anxious concern, anxious seat,
      anxiousness, appalling, apprehend, apprehension, apprehensiveness,
      astounding, aversion, awe, awe-inspiring, awesome, awful,
      be afraid, blue funk, boredom, cankerworm of care, care,
      cheerlessness, cliff-hanging, cold feet, concern, concernment,
      consternation, contemplate, cowardice, dire, direful, discomfort,
      discomposure, discontent, dislike, dismay, displeasure, disquiet,
      disquietude, dissatisfaction, distress, disturbance, dreaded,
      dreadful, dullness, emptiness, ennui, envisage, existential woe,
      expect, expectant waiting, eye askance, face, fear, feared,
      fearfulness, fell, flatness, flinch, foreboding, forebodingness,
      foresee, formidable, fright, funk, ghastly, ghoulish, grim,
      grimness, grisly, gruesome, have in mind, have qualms, hideous,
      hope, horrendous, horrible, horrid, horrific, horrification,
      horrifying, horror, inquietude, joylessness, lack of pleasure,
      macabre, malaise, misgive, misgiving, morbid, nausea,
      nervous strain, nervous tension, nervousness, nongratification,
      nonsatisfaction, overanxiety, painfulness, panic, panic fear,
      perturbation, pessimism, phobia, pins and needles, presume, pucker,
      qualm, queasiness, redoubtable, savorlessness, scare, schrecklich,
      shocking, shrink from, sit upon thorns, solicitude, spleen,
      staleness, stampede, stand aghast, stew, strain, suspense,
      take for granted, tastelessness, tediousness, tedium, tension,
      terrible, terrific, terrifying, terror, the heebie-jeebies, think,
      tremendous, trepidation, trepidity, trouble, uncertainty,
      uncomfortableness, unease, uneasiness, unhappiness, unholy dread,
      unpleasure, unquietness, unsatisfaction, upset, vexation,
      vexation of spirit, waiting, worry, zeal