dread in WordNet English dictionary

1. fearful expectation or anticipation
   "the student looked around the examination room with apprehension"
   apprehension  apprehensiveness  dread 
   

1. causing fear or dread or terror
   "the awful war"; "an awful risk"; "dire news"; "a career or vengeance so direful that London was shocked"; "the dread presence of the headmaster"; "polio is no longer the dreaded disease it once was"; "a dreadful storm"; "a fearful howling"; "horrendous explosions shook the city"; "a terrible curse"
   awful  dire  direful  dread  dreaded  dreadful  fearful  fearsome  frightening  horrendous  horrific  terrible 
   

1. be afraid or scared of; be frightened of
   "I fear the winters in Moscow"; "We should not fear the Communists!"
   fear  dread