dread

B2 Topic:Actions & Processes

US /dɹɛd/ See IPA manual

Freq #11552

Meanings

1

verb
To feel very afraid or anxious about something that is going to happen.

I'm dreading the exam results next week.
2

noun
A strong feeling of fear about something that may happen.

My visit to the dentist fills me with dread.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to feel very afraid or... fear

2 noun · a strong feeling of fear... fear terror

Word family

Forms dreadeddreadingdreads

Derived forms dreadabledreadendreadfuldreadinglydreadlessdreadlydreadmilldreadnessdreadsomedreadworthydreadyfordread

Related forms dreadlocks dreadnought

Appears in

Proverbs (1)

See all

A burnt child dreads the fire

Simplified etymology

Dread developed from Old English adread, meaning “to fear greatly” or “regard with awe,” which was shortened to dread during the Middle Ages. Much later, Rastafarian use connected dread with fear of the Lord and with alienation from contemporary society, giving rise to dreadlocks and dreads.

Etymology

From 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”).

dreden Middle English drǣdan Old English *andarādan Proto-West Germanic

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Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# dread

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** verb, noun
**IPA (US):** /dɹɛd/
**Frequency rank:** 11552

## Meanings
1. To feel very afraid or anxious about something that is going to happen.
2. A strong feeling of fear about something that may happen.

## Examples
- I'm dreading the exam results next week.
- My visit to the dentist fills me with dread.

## Derived Forms
- dreadable
- dreaden
- dreadful
- dreadingly
- dreadless
- dreadly
- dreadmill
- dreadness
- dreadsome
- dreadworthy
- dready
- fordread

## Related Forms
- dreadlocks
- dreadnought

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: dreden
- Root: drǣdan
- Root: *andarādan

## Etymology
From 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”).

## AI Etymology
Dread comes from 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”).

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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