Dreadless

/ˈdrɛdləs/ adjective

Definition

Feeling no dread; fearless, bold, or without anxiety about dangerous or frightening things.

Etymology

From dread + -less (Old English -leas, meaning 'without' or 'lacking'). The -less suffix inverts the meaning to describe the absence of dread.

Kelly Says

The -less suffix is a clever linguistic tool used in Old English to negate concepts—dreadless is the opposite of dreadful, but it's rarely used because 'fearless' and 'bold' are more common, showing how language naturally consolidates synonyms.

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