dreadful

Universal Words adjective (especially BrE) 1 very bad or unpleasant: What dreadful weather! * What a dreadful thing to say! * It's dreadful the way they treat their staff. * How dreadful! * Jane looked dreadful (= looked ill or tired). 2 [onlybeforenoun] used to emphasize how bad sth is: He's a dreadful snob. * She's making a dreadful mess of things. * I'm afraid there's been a dreadful mistake. 3 [usuallybeforenoun] causing fear or suffering: a dreadful accident / disease / scream * They suffered dreadful injuries.