Definitions
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun UK, dated A
cheap pulp novel produced in 19th centuryBritain .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a melodramatic paperback novel
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word penny dreadful.
Examples
Sorry, no example sentences found.
arby commented on the word penny dreadful
I think I like penny-dreadful better, myself.
June 23, 2007
arby commented on the word penny dreadful
A synonym is shilling shocker - love it!
June 23, 2007
bestiary commented on the word penny dreadful
ca. 1884, a sixpenny book; also shilling dreadful (1885), shilling shocker (1886), penny blood (1896), penny horrible (1899).
July 24, 2008