Dictionary

dreadfully en · ADV

Pronunciation

• /ˈdɹɛd.fʊl.i/
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

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

Meanings

1. In a dreadful manner; terribly.
   • The smellful old heathen was snoring dreadfully. 1931, Ion L. Idriess, Lasseter's Last Ride, Sydney: Angus and Robertson, page 222:
   • You behaved dreadfully yesterday night
2. (dated) 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. 1888, Oscar Wilde, “The Happy Prince”, in The Happy Prince and Other Tales:
   • “Here it is,” said Eddie. “‘Why Must it Always be Tomato Soup?’ It's so deeply true, don't you feel? Tomato soup is so dreadfully eternal.” 1918 August, Katherine Mansfield [pseudonym; Kathleen Mansfield Murry], “Bliss”, in Bliss and Other Stories, London: Constable & Company, published 1920, →OCLC, pages 135–136:

Forms

Translations (27)

grc αἰνῶς (in a dreadful manner) · grc αἰνῶς (exceptionally, eminently, very much) · pt terrivelmente (exceptionally, eminently, very much) · hu szörnyen (exceptionally, eminently, very much) · fr terriblement (in a dreadful manner) · ca espantosament (in a dreadful manner) · da frygtelig (in a dreadful manner) · hu ijesztően (in a dreadful manner) · el τρομερά (in a dreadful manner) · de furchtbar (in a dreadful manner) · da forfærdelig (in a dreadful manner) · enm dredfully (in a dreadful manner) · wa carapmint (exceptionally, eminently, very much) · hu borzasztóan (exceptionally, eminently, very much) · wa teribmint (exceptionally, eminently, very much) · pt terrivelmente (in a dreadful manner) · es despavorientemente (in a dreadful manner) · es pavorosamente (in a dreadful manner) · da skrækkelig (in a dreadful manner) · wa teribmint (in a dreadful manner) · eo terure (in a dreadful manner) · hu irtó (exceptionally, eminently, very much) · el φοβερά (in a dreadful manner) · hu irtózatosan (exceptionally, eminently, very much) · es empavorecientemente (in a dreadful manner) · hu félelmetesen (in a dreadful manner) · de furchtbar (exceptionally, eminently, very much)