Great fear in view of impending evil; fearful apprehension of danger; anticipatory terror
be afraid or scared of; be frightened of; "I fear the winters in Moscow"; "We should not fear the Communists!"
fearful expectation or anticipation; "the student looked around the examination room with apprehension"
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"
If you say that you dread to think what might happen, you mean that you are anxious about it because it is likely to be very unpleasant. I dread to think what will happen in the case of a major emergency. to feel anxious or worried about something that is going to happen or may happen. a strong fear of something that is going to happen or may happen dread of (doing) sth