Dread: quick facts
Dread is the heavy, anxious feeling of anticipating something unpleasant that seems unavoidable or is drawing near. It is future-oriented, focused not on a present threat but on one expected to come, which can make the…
Category
Complex & secondary emotions
Valence
Negative
Emotion family / blend
Fear
Typical triggers
Anticipated harm, looming events, bad news ahead, inevitable unpleasantness
How it's expressed
Tense body, shallow breathing, knotted stomach, heavy slow movements
Sources: American Psychological Association — APA Dictionary: emotion; Greater Good Science Center, UC Berkeley — Emotions; Plutchik's Wheel of Emotions (Robert Plutchik) — overview; National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) — Anxiety Disorders. Educational information only — not medical or psychological advice. See our sources & fact-check policy.