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
Etymology
Origin of dire
First recorded in 1560–70, dire is from the Latin word dīrus fearful, unlucky
Explanation
Dire refers to situations or events that cause great fear and worry. A dire calamity causes much suffering. If a family is in dire need, they need immediate help. Dire predictions or warnings tell us that a disaster may happen in the future. If you are trapped between the burning building behind you and the high cliffs in front of you, you might describe yourself as being in dire straits.
Vocabulary lists containing dire
The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 2
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"Macbeth" Vocabulary from Act I
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The New SAT: Words to Capture Tone
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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.
Dire straits at present emphasize the fragility of global supply chains, with extremely negative implications for inflation in a deglobalized world.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 21, 2026
Dire vaccine shortages amid a surge in cholera cases forced a halt to preventative immunisation efforts in 2022, and a move to a one-dose strategy from the usual two in outbreak emergency responses.
From Barron's • Feb. 4, 2026
Dire wolf skeleton at La Brea tarpits museum.
From Salon • May 15, 2025
It’s an even farther cry from TV’s more obvious epic journey tales — no warring clans, no Dire wolves or vows of vengeance, no magical rings.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 8, 2024
Dire is the conflict, dismal is the din, Here shouts all Drury, there all Lincoln's Inn; Contending theatres our empire raise, Alike their labours, and alike their praise.
From Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 58, Number 358, August 1845 by Various
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.
