As a noun, it is a strong feeling of fear or anxiety about something that may happen. As a verb, it means to be very afraid of or worried about a future event.
From Old English 'ondrædan' meaning 'to fear, to advise against', possibly from 'on-' plus 'drǣdan' meaning 'to counsel, advise'. Over time, the advising sense faded and the fear sense remained. The modern form 'dread' developed through Middle English 'dreden'.
Dread is fear stretched out in time—it’s about what might happen, not what is happening now. That’s why dread can be worse than the event itself: your mind keeps rehearsing disaster. The word captures how imagination can turn into its own kind of suffering.
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