Dictionary.com

Popular Searches

 Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

dire

American  
[dahyuhr] / daɪər /

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 British  
/ daɪə /

adjective

  1. Also: direful.  disastrous; fearful

  2. desperate; urgent

    a dire need

  3. foreboding disaster; ominous

    a dire warning
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

There is no escaping the fact England's record in Brisbane, historically the host of the series opener, is dire.

From BBC

And UN aid agencies say conditions for people in the Gaza strip remain dire, despite the ceasefire.

From BBC

The situation is so dire that sections of the Liverpool faithful have begun to wonder aloud whether Slot’s time is running out.

From The Wall Street Journal

I had warned in a few live appearances not to take at full face value the protestations about how dire the OBR forecast had been.

From BBC

The building itself was in dire shape, she noted.

From Los Angeles Times

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.