dreadfully bad

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "dreadfully bad" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe something that is extremely poor in quality or performance. Example: "The movie was dreadfully bad, leaving the audience disappointed and frustrated."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

4 human-written examples

But I found it bothersome because, as I was reading him, Aristotle appeared not only ignorant of mechanics, but a dreadfully bad physical scientist as well.

The Guardian

It can mean there's a doctor there, and although it's serious he has it in hand, under control, it isn't so dreadfully bad, although he did say it's serious, or it can..

The New Yorker

OForourse, self-reported surveys do have theinstanceations.

TechCrunch

Epley found that compared to a phone call, participants were dreadfully bad at guessing whether a statement was sarcasm or serious.

TechCrunch

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

56 human-written examples

"I'm dreadfully sorry about this, dreadfully, dreadfully sorry.

The Guardian

"I'm dreadfully sorry".

The New Yorker

Leicester were playing dreadfully and a flag-happy linesman was making it doubly bad.

The Guardian - Sport

Why not just admit that England bowled dreadfully at key moments and that it was a mistake to come off for bad light when South Africa were on the rack on the Friday evening at Leeds?

The Guardian - Sport

A likeable lyric "Holding up stores with Lucozade bottles/I'm the one forcing you to break bad/ Whilst little goodie two shoes glue plane models" has to be set against the dreadfully laboured tobacco metaphor of "Miss Cigarette", and the instruction in "Mama do the Hump" to "flick your fag butts" will surely be a hindrance to cracking the States (though that's no bad thing).

Independent

There was nothing really dreadfully wrong with Best, other than its existence in the first place, so it became, rather confusingly, a bad idea for a film executed bizarrely well, albeit mostly as an exercise in nostalgia for nostalgia's sake.

The Guardian

Dreadfully sexist?

The Guardian - Tech

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "dreadfully bad" to emphasize a strong negative assessment of something's quality or performance. It conveys a sense of extreme disapproval.

Common error

While "dreadfully bad" is impactful, overuse can diminish its effect. Vary your language by using synonyms like "terribly poor" or "awfully substandard" to maintain the freshness and impact of your writing.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "dreadfully bad" functions as an intensifying adverb-adjective combination. It is used to strongly emphasize the negative quality of something. As Ludwig AI confirms, the phrase is correct and usable in English.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

100%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Academia

0%

Science

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "dreadfully bad" is a grammatically sound and usable expression for emphasizing the poor quality or performance of something. Ludwig AI confirms its correctness. While relatively rare in occurrence, primarily appearing in news and media contexts, its strong negative connotation makes it effective for conveying extreme disapproval. Be mindful of overuse and consider varying your language with alternatives like "terribly poor" or "awfully substandard" to maintain impact. Use "dreadfully bad" judiciously to deliver a potent negative assessment.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

frightfully bad

Replaces "dreadfully" with "frightfully", suggesting a sense of alarm or shock at how bad something is.

terribly bad

Uses "terribly" in place of "dreadfully", indicating something is severely bad.

awfully bad

Substitutes "dreadfully" with "awfully", conveying a sense of something being extremely unpleasant or of poor quality.

extremely bad

Replaces "dreadfully" with "extremely", emphasizing the high degree of badness.

exceptionally bad

Indicates that something is unusually or remarkably bad.

remarkably poor

Replaces both words, focusing more on a deficiency in quality.

woefully inadequate

Shifts the focus to inadequacy, implying something falls significantly short of expectations.

utterly awful

Uses a stronger adjective, "awful", and emphasizes it with "utterly", indicating complete failure or repulsiveness.

pathetically poor

Adds a sense of pity or contempt to the description of poor quality.

appallingly substandard

Replaces "bad" with "substandard" and uses "appallingly" for emphasis, highlighting the unacceptable level of quality.

FAQs

How can I use "dreadfully bad" in a sentence?

You can use "dreadfully bad" to describe something that is extremely poor in quality or performance. For example, "The service at the restaurant was "dreadfully bad", and we won't be returning."

What phrases are similar to "dreadfully bad"?

Alternatives to "dreadfully bad" include "terribly bad", "awfully bad", or "extremely poor". The best choice depends on the specific nuance you want to convey.

Is it always appropriate to use "dreadfully bad" in formal writing?

While grammatically correct, "dreadfully bad" might be perceived as somewhat informal for very formal contexts. Consider using a more neutral or professional alternative like "exceptionally poor" or "seriously inadequate" in such cases.

What's the difference between "dreadfully bad" and "horribly bad"?

Both "dreadfully bad" and "horribly bad" express a strong negative sentiment. "Horribly bad" might suggest a more visceral or shocking experience, while "dreadfully bad" can emphasize the extreme disappointment or poor quality of something.