What does dreaded mean?
Word: Dreaded
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Dreaded means greatly feared, or something people do not look forward to at all.
Synonyms: feared, terrifying
Antonyms: welcome
How do you spell dreaded?
Syllables: dread - ed
Tricky part: Dread is spelt with ea, as in bread and head, even though it sounds like dred.
Watch out for: dreded, dreeded, dreadid
Memory tip: Dread and bread differ by just one letter, so if you can spell bread, you can spell dread.
Dreaded in a sentence
Example 1: The dreaded maths test was finally over.
Example 2: Malaria was once a dreaded disease in many parts of India.
Example 3: Our dog hides under the bed at the dreaded sound of the vacuum cleaner.
Fun Fact
In Old English the verb was ondraedan, meaning to fear; over time the first part dropped away and left dread.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Tally
You get 1 mark for each misspelt word you find in the list. How many marks will you get?
dreaded, cheerfull, weather, galery, heavily
a) 3
b) 4
c) 1
d) 2
Show answer
d) 2. Cheerful has one l at the end and gallery needs two l's, so two words are wrong.
Word Puzzle
Match each word with its synonym:
1. ample 2. dreaded 3. swift a. quick b. plentiful c. fearsome
a) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b
b) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a
c) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c
d) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a
Show answer
d) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a. Ample means plentiful, a dreaded storm is a fearsome one and a swift runner is quick.
Sound Check
In which word is 'ed' pronounced differently?
a) fixed
b) needed
c) rested
d) dreaded
Show answer
a) fixed. Fixed ends in a t sound; dreaded, needed and rested end in 'id'.
Spell Spies
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) dreadded
b) thudded
c) nodded
d) shredded
Show answer
a) dreadded. Shredded, nodded and thudded double the d after a short vowel spelt with one letter; dread already ends in ea + d, so it just adds ed.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which of these is the opposite of a dreaded event?
a) a longed-for event
b) a frightening event
c) a painful event
d) a gloomy event
Show answer
a) a longed-for event
2. Which of these is most often a dreaded sound?
a) the whine of a dentist's drill
b) rain pattering on the roof
c) a favourite song on the radio
d) birds singing at dawn
Show answer
a) the whine of a dentist's drill
