Skip to content

dreadfully

adverb

  1. very much (usually negative)
  2. in a manner inducing dread
L13583 on Wikidata ↗

Wiktionary

Pronunciation: /ˈdɹɛd.fʊl.i/

adv

Etymology: Inherited from Middle English dredfully, dradefullich, dredefullich; equivalent to dreadful + -ly.

  1. In a dreadful manner; terribly.

    You behaved dreadfully yesterday night

    The smellful old heathen was snoring dreadfully.

  2. Exceptionally, eminently, very much.

    That restaurant seems dreadfully expensive.

    At that moment a curious crack sounded inside the statue, as if something had broken. The fact is that the leaden heart had snapped right in two. It certainly was a dreadfully hard frost.