completely dreadful

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "completely dreadful" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe something that is extremely bad or unpleasant. Example: "The movie was completely dreadful, and I regretted spending my time watching it."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

2 human-written examples

My Valentine's Day this year is going to be completely dreadful.

Huffington Post

His films are completely dreadful in every way possible the acting, writing, direction, and comedic timing are all functioning at a grade school level.

Vice

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

58 human-written examples

Casting Indigenous Australians as a negative and despised form of "other" explains how we can tolerate or completely ignore such dreadful incarceration rates.

The Guardian - Opinion

Lesley Hinds, Edinburgh City Council's environment convener, said: "I want to offer my deepest apologies to all those families who have been affected by this dreadful and completely unacceptable situation.

BBC

"We were completely unaware that something dreadful was about to happen," he told The Independent.

Independent

In USA Today, Jorge L. Ortiz writes that it's necessary to completely forget Lincecum's dreadful August and Bob Nightengale writes about how Sabathia's brush with death changed his outlook on baseball and life.

The New York Times - Sports

If the deficit isn't completely gone by then it will, dreadful economic news aside, be nearly gone.

The Guardian

Even the triumph of Bale's single-handed comeback could not completely erase the memory of a dreadful first-half performance.

Independent

The drink with this summed up the dreadful cocktail pairings: a huge, fruity Cabernet Sauvignon completely ruined by the addition of a peaty whisky.

The Guardian - Lifestyle

"This doctor has condemned my sister to a year, so far, of terrible suffering and a death which is too dreadful to contemplate, when she could have been completely cured.

BBC

Even a decade after its release Allmusic's Eduardo Rivadavia called the album "dreadful", noting that "Gillan's bluesy style and humorous lyrics were completely incompatible with the lords of doom and gloom".

Wikipedia

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "completely dreadful", ensure the context aligns with the severity of the phrase. It's best suited for situations involving significant disappointment or displeasure. Use it to express your strong negative opinion.

Common error

Avoid using "completely dreadful" to describe minor inconveniences. The phrase carries a strong negative connotation, so reserve it for genuinely serious or significantly negative experiences.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "completely dreadful" primarily functions as an adjectival phrase, modifying a noun to express a strong negative evaluation. According to Ludwig AI, the phrase is grammatically correct and functions as a descriptive modifier.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

100%

Less common in

Science

0%

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "completely dreadful" is a grammatically sound adjectival phrase used to express a strong negative sentiment. Ludwig AI confirms its correctness and suitability for describing something extremely unpleasant or of poor quality. While its usage frequency is rare, the phrase is most commonly found in news and media contexts. When writing, consider the severity of the situation before using "completely dreadful", as it carries a significant negative connotation. Alternatives like "utterly awful" or "totally terrible" can offer similar impact. It is important to notice that there are not less common contexts, given the fact that almost all the examples comes from "News & Media".

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

utterly awful

Changes "dreadful" to "awful" and "completely" to "utterly", maintaining the sense of extreme unpleasantness.

totally terrible

Replaces "completely dreadful" with "totally terrible", indicating a high degree of negativity.

perfectly awful

Substitutes "completely" with "perfectly", while keeping the descriptor "awful".

absolutely appalling

Substitutes "completely dreadful" with "absolutely appalling", emphasizing the shocking and offensive nature of something.

downright atrocious

Replaces "completely dreadful" with "downright atrocious", which suggests something shockingly bad.

thoroughly wretched

Replaces "completely dreadful" with "thoroughly wretched", which suggests a feeling of deep unhappiness or misfortune.

appallingly bad

Replaces "completely dreadful" with "appallingly bad", emphasizing the shocking and offensive nature of something, with a more common adjective.

unmitigated disaster

Changes the structure to a noun phrase emphasizing the disastrous nature of the situation, instead of describing something as dreadful.

exceptionally bad

Uses a more standard adjective, "bad", modified by "exceptionally".

entirely unpleasant

Replaces "dreadful" with the more general "unpleasant", softening the impact slightly.

FAQs

What does "completely dreadful" mean?

The phrase "completely dreadful" means something is extremely bad, unpleasant, or of very poor quality. It expresses a strong negative sentiment.

What can I say instead of "completely dreadful"?

You can use alternatives like "utterly awful", "totally terrible", or "absolutely appalling" to convey a similar meaning.

Is it okay to use "completely dreadful" in formal writing?

While grammatically correct, "completely dreadful" might sound too informal or emotive for some formal contexts. Consider alternatives like "entirely unsatisfactory" or "wholly inadequate" for a more professional tone.

How do I use "completely dreadful" in a sentence?

You can use it to describe a performance, experience, or object. For example, "The play was "completely dreadful"," or "The food at that restaurant was "completely dreadful"."