How to use dreadfully in a sentence

13 example sentences · adverb

Dreadfully means in a dreadful manner; terribly. Example: “That restaurant seems dreadfully expensive.”

Examples of dreadfully by meaning

adverbIn a dreadful manner; terribly.

You behaved dreadfully yesterday night
The smellful old heathen was snoring dreadfully.1931, Ion L. Idriess, Lasseter's Last Ride, Sydney: Angus and Robertson, page 222

adverbExceptionally, eminently, very much.

That restaurant seems dreadfully expensive.
Tomato soup is so dreadfully eternal.”1918 August, Katherine Mansfield [pseudonym; Kathleen Mansfield Murry], “Bliss”, in Bliss and Other Stories, London: Constable & Company...

More sentences with dreadfully

It’ll be perfect to cover up those dreadfully unsightly scars,’ said Unctuous pointing at Guthry’s forehead.1995, Andrew Harman, “Of Blueprints and Hair-nets”, in Fahrenheit 666, London: Legend Books, →ISBN, page 162. From the entry hair-net
This animal may be a fast runner, but it has been a dreadfully slow evolver.1983, Alan Hayward, God's truth, page 254. From the entry evolver
I tried to read George Moore last night, and was dreadfully bored.1914, Jack London, The Mutiny of the Elsinore, Chapter XLIV. From the entry windjam
Besides they were dreadfully afraid that Freddy Malins might turn up screwed.1904–1907 (date written), James Joyce, “The Dead”, in Dubliners, London: Grant Richards, published June 1914, →OCLC, pages 217–218. From the entry screwed
I was dreadfully afraid of the night (a carryover from childhood, but my self-control just didn't work with night fright), and I smoked.2006, Chap Attwell, 100 Questions & Answers About Anxiety, page 162. From the entry nightfright
The Times of course has to pay the price of encyclopaedism by being often dreadfully overwritten, with long paragraphs connected by motley conjunctions.1954, Edwin H. Ford, Edwin Emery, Highlights in the History of the American Press: A Book of Readings, U of Minnesota Press, →ISBN, page 367. From the entry overwrite
MANSFIELD’s torso was now fully out over the ledge; his eyes stared unafraidly at the circular pit, which now looked so dreadfully close.1934 June, Milton R. Peril, “The Lost City”, in Amazing Stories, volume 9, number 2, chapter XIV (Doomed), page 32. From the entry unafraidly
"Oh, my dear, my dear, I'm afraid not, or else your face wouldn't be so dreadfully red and guilty-like, and I'm sure as your uncle thinks you broke it.”2022, George Fenn, The Vast Abyss. From the entry guilty-like
Just the sound of the gushing wind would shake me to the core, and I wouldn’t take a step outside my house without feeling dreadfully frightened.2021, Saania Saxena, “Fears”, in Teenage Chronicles: My Journey of Self Discovery, London: Europe Books, →ISBN. From the entry ancraophobia

Meaning of dreadfully

adverb In a dreadful manner; terribly.
adverb Exceptionally, eminently, very much.

Full definition of dreadfully

Questions about dreadfully in a sentence

How do you use dreadfully in a sentence?: Dreadfully is used as an adverb. For example: “That restaurant seems dreadfully expensive.”
What is a short sentence with dreadfully?: “That restaurant seems dreadfully expensive.”
What does dreadfully mean?: Dreadfully means in a dreadful manner; terribly.

Adapted from Wiktionary: dreadfully (page history and authors) and the entries each sentence comes from. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws chose the sentences, left out offensive ones and quotations older than 1900, and marked the word in each. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Cite this page: “How to use dreadfully in a sentence.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/sentences/dreadfully. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.