dreading

[dred-ing] / ˈdrɛd ɪŋ /

ADJECTIVE

anxious

Synonyms

STRONGEST

afraid apprehensive careful concerned distressed fearful fidgety jittery nervous restless scared uneasy uptight

WEAK

aghast antsy basket case bugged butterflies choked clutched disquieted disturbed fretful hacked hyper in a state in a tizzy in suspense jumpy nervy overwrought shaking shaky shivery shook-up shot to pieces solicitous spooked strung-out sweating bullets taut troubled unglued unquiet watchful wired worried sick wreck

Antonyms

STRONGEST

bold brave calm collected composed confident cool courageous happy inattentive quiet unafraid unconcerned unfearful unworried

WEAK

assured content indifferent peaceful tranqil unwilling

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

dreading

And we’re dreading the coming costs to move our cars and some furnishings to the West Coast.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 23, 2026

"We've gone from dreading a haircut, not knowing what he would be like, to him loving going there," he says.

From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026

And so I was dreading having to editorialize about this, but fortunately a pollster did it for me.

From Slate ● Jun. 16, 2026

“When you get on a plane, you know you’re that guy that everybody is dreading sitting next to.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 7, 2026

No doubt they had searched for him in a large area around the cave, dreading to find him injured, or dead.

From "Abel's Island" by William Steig