dire
Americanadjective
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causing or involving great fear or suffering; dreadful; terrible.
a dire calamity.
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indicating trouble, disaster, misfortune, or the like.
dire predictions about the stock market.
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urgent; desperate.
in dire need of food.
adjective
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Also: direful. disastrous; fearful
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desperate; urgent
a dire need
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foreboding disaster; ominous
a dire warning
Other Word Forms
- direly adverb
- direness noun
Etymology
Origin of dire
First recorded in 1560–70, dire is from the Latin word dīrus fearful, unlucky
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
We always hear the grim stories about the dire state of publishing, how people just don’t read, but that isn’t the whole story.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026
The prospect of land war between the two countries is dire, as each boasts one of Africa’s largest standing armies—perhaps 800,000 fighters in total.
From Barron's • Apr. 7, 2026
It is easy to forget the dire situation Newcastle were in when the defender joined the club little more than four years ago.
From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026
Here’s his advice for dealing with the stress of waiting, whether it’s for potentially dire medical results or the outcome of a job interview.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026
He had not our dire incentive for the success of that Regiment—a noncommissioned officer in a hated regiment in a precarious fastness only a few hundred feet from a growing and volatile enemy.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
