dire

[dahy^uhr]

adjective

direr, direst 

1. causing or involving great fear or suffering; dreadful; terrible.

   a dire calamity.

2. indicating trouble, disaster, misfortune, or the like.

   dire predictions about the stock market.

3. urgent; desperate.

   in dire need of food.

dire

/ daɪə /

adjective

1. Also: direful. disastrous; fearful

2. desperate; urgent

   a dire need

3. foreboding disaster; ominous

   a dire warning

Other Word Forms

• direness noun
• direly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of dire¹

First recorded in 1560–70, dire is from the Latin word dīrus fearful, unlucky

Word History and Origins

Origin of dire¹

C16: from Latin dīrus ominous, fearful; related to Greek deos fear

Example Sentences

Too much vitamin A can cause liver damage, blindness, and dire abnormalities during fetal development.

From Salon

Would a Reform government give British taxpayer's money to the Taliban regime with its dire record of the treatment of women?

From BBC

For the rest of us, it’s a dire warning that the man who wears it no longer lives in the real world.

From Salon

I've clearly got things wrong in the dire moments of tournaments, and I might have made the odd dodgy decision, might have put a bad swing on it.

From BBC

The situation was dire, and the U.S. government knew it too.

From Salon

Related Words

• alarming 
• appalling 
• awful 
• calamitous 
• cataclysmic 
• catastrophic 
• depressing 
• disastrous 
• dismal 
• distressing www.thesaurus.com
• dreadful 
• gloomy 
• grim 
• horrible 
• lamentable 
• shocking 
• ugly 
• unfortunate