Dread-inducing describes something that causes a strong feeling of fear, apprehension, or anxiety about something that may happen in the future. It evokes a sense of foreboding, making one anticipate negative or unpleasant outcomes. The intensity of this feeling can range from mild unease to outright terror, often fueled by the unknown, perceived threats, or anticipation of suffering. It is not necessarily tied to immediate danger but rather to the potential for negative experiences that haven't yet occurred. This term highlights the psychological impact of anticipation and imagined scenarios. Something deemed dread-inducing might involve uncertainty, helplessness, or the threat of loss or pain, provoking a significant emotional response related to fearing a future event.
Dread-inducing meaning with examples
- The news reports detailed a growing outbreak of a new disease, with horrifying symptoms and a high mortality rate, a situation that was quickly becoming dread-inducing. People were now constantly sanitizing everything they touched, and the fear created by the uncertainty was palpable.
- The deserted, echoing hallways of the old asylum, with its rusted equipment and shadows, were profoundly dread-inducing. Each creak and groan of the building seemed to whisper of past tragedies and the unseen presence of former patients left the current visitors with goosebumps.
- The judge's final words, the sentence to be delivered, hung heavy in the courtroom, a dread-inducing culmination of weeks of legal proceedings. The uncertainty of his fate, and the potential loss of his freedom, cast a thick, suffocating pall over the atmosphere.
- The thought of the upcoming performance review, with the potential for harsh criticism or even job loss, created a dread-inducing feeling for many employees. The lack of control and vulnerability that followed filled them with hours of anticipatory anxiety, creating a state of apprehension.
- The long, dark tunnel ahead, rumored to be plagued by strange noises and unexplained phenomena, was undoubtedly dread-inducing. Hikers, having heard accounts of other travellers getting lost and never being seen again, were terrified of entering it, their imaginations running wild.