What does dreadfulness mean?
Dreadfulness is a noun denoting the quality or state of being dreadful — that is, extremely bad, unpleasant, or inspiring intense fear. It has two closely related senses: one evaluative, describing something of terrible quality (as in the dreadfulness of a meal or a performance), and one emotive, describing the capacity of a thing or event to provoke dread or horror, as with the dreadfulness of a natural disaster. The word is formed from "dreadful," which itself derives from "dread" plus the noun-forming suffix "-ness." Historically, "dreadful" could mean awe-inspiring as well as terrible, and traces of that older sense survive in phrases like "dreadful majesty." In modern usage, "dreadfulness" leans formal or literary; everyday conversation tends to favor adjectival constructions such as "how awful." It is especially common in critical writing and in solemn accounts of suffering or catastrophe, where it lends gravity to the assessment being made.
nounThe quality or state of being dreadful; extreme badness, unpleasantness, or the capacity to inspire fear or awe.
- The quality of being extremely bad, unpleasant, or distasteful.
- The quality of inspiring great fear, dread, or awe.
"The full dreadfulness of the war became apparent only years later."
"Reviewers were unanimous about the dreadfulness of the film's script."
"He stood before the ruins, grasping at last the dreadfulness of what had happened there."
Rarely pluralized; the word is almost always used as an uncountable mass noun referring to an abstract quality.
"The memoir catalogues all manner of dreadfulnesses endured during the siege."
"Dreadfulness" once carried a sense of holy terror — 17th-century writers used it to describe the majesty and fear inspired by God himself.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of dreadfulness
Dreadfulness is formed within English from the adjective "dreadful" plus the suffix "-ness," which creates abstract nouns denoting qualities. "Dreadful" itself comes from Middle English, combining "dread" — from Old English "ondrædan," meaning to fear — with the suffix "-ful." In its earliest uses, dating from around the late sixteenth century for the noun form, it could convey reverent awe as well as terror, reflecting the older sense of "dread" as profound respect mixed with fear. Cognates of the root appear across Germanic languages, such as German "drohen" (to threaten).
Related word forms
How dreadfulness is actually used
Somewhat formal or literary in tone; in everyday speech speakers often prefer "how awful" or "how terrible" over nominal forms like "dreadfulness." It frequently appears in evaluative contexts such as criticism and reviews, and in solemn descriptions of catastrophes.
Easily confused with dreadfulness
"Dread" is the emotion of fear or anticipation itself, while "dreadfulness" is the quality of something that is very bad or frightening.