dire
Americanadjective
-
causing or involving great fear or suffering; dreadful; terrible.
a dire calamity.
-
indicating trouble, disaster, misfortune, or the like.
dire predictions about the stock market.
-
urgent; desperate.
in dire need of food.
adjective
-
Also: direful. disastrous; fearful
-
desperate; urgent
a dire need
-
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"Macbeth" Vocabulary from Act I
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The New SAT: Words to Capture Tone
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
In the context of the dire austerity we are witnessing, the juggernaut of tech money seems impossible to resist.
From Salon ● Jul. 28, 2026
The United Nations on Friday called for the safe evacuation and repatriation of some 6,000 sailors stuck in a "dire humanitarian and human rights crisis" in the Strait of Hormuz.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
Yampolskiy worries that the next time this happens — which it will — the consequences could be more dire.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
That’s a hit to gasoline markets that “you really can’t make up for,” De Haan said, and is particularly dire when U.S. refineries are already operating at nearly 97% capacity.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026
I began writing about the process of going from agency to agency, being categorized, being advised of my shortcomings, and having dire warnings sent my way.
From "Bad Boy" by Walter Dean Myers
Rademacher said the showers will continue into at least Monday, with the midweek looking a bit direr.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 2, 2024
The TV series balances humor and tragedy like the film did; however, it’s clear in the episodes that things are direr now.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 14, 2023
With Christmas now just months away, supermarkets are warning that the situation could become direr.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 1, 2021
Our situation is direr as our modern pollutants destroy the planet and once defeated ancient diseases reemerge to kill people.
From Salon ● Apr. 28, 2019
Tell you, captain," he called out, "this has been a direr convulsion of nature than you have any idea.
From Cobwebs from an Empty Skull by Bierce, Ambrose
A recent drought saw the three direst years on record, which dropped reservoirs around the state to dangerously low levels and prompted mandatory rationing and even caused some hydroelectric power plants to shut down.
From Seattle Times ● May 16, 2024
This is an ancient and nearly universal idiom that resurfaces, in different forms, in different places, and at different times, in the direst of circumstances.
From Salon ● May 4, 2024
Unison's head of local government Mike Short said town halls were in the "direst of states".
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2023
Equally miraculous is a nonfiction movie forged in the direst of challenges that never comes across like an issue-driven medical narrative.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2023
This shocked the three-judge panel, who warned us in direst terms about the dangers of conducting our own defense.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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.
