dire

[ dahyuhr ]
See synonyms for: diredirest on Thesaurus.com

adjective,dir·er, dir·est.
  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.

  1. urgent; desperate: in dire need of food.

Origin of dire

1
First recorded in 1560–70, dire is from the Latin word dīrus fearful, unlucky

Other words from dire

  • direly, adverb
  • direness, noun

Words Nearby dire

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How to use dire in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for dire

dire

/ (daɪə) /


adjective(usually prenominal)
  1. Also: direful disastrous; fearful

  2. desperate; urgent: a dire need

  1. foreboding disaster; ominous: a dire warning

Origin of dire

1
C16: from Latin dīrus ominous, fearful; related to Greek deos fear

Derived forms of dire

  • direly, adverb
  • direness, noun

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