Dire refers to situations or events that cause great fear and worry. A dire calamity causes much suffering.
Ill-boding; portentous;
Adjective S.
causing fear or dread or terror; "the awful war"; "an awful risk"; "dire news"; "a career or vengeance so direful that London was shocked"; "the dread presence of the headmaster"; "polio is no longer the dreaded disease it once was"; "a dreadful storm"; "
Adjective S.
fraught with extreme danger; nearly hopeless; "a desperate illness"; "on all fronts the Allies were in a desperate situation due to lack of materiel"- G.C.Marshall; "a dire emergency"
superl.
Ill-boding; portentous; as, dire omens.
superl.
Evil in great degree; dreadful; dismal; horrible;
terrible; lamentable.
Dire
Dire was the tossing, deep the groans.
Gorgons and hydras and chimeras dire.
Ill-boding; portentous;
Usage Examples
The most dire disaster in love is the death of imagination.
The situation in the United States is becoming more dire for average ordinary Americans and the last thing we need to do is to spend money on death, destruction and war.
Myths about the dire effects of genetically modified foods on health and the environment abound, but they have not held up to scientific scrutiny. And, although many concerns have been expressed about the potential for unexpected consequences, the unexpected effects that have been observed so far have been benign.
Narcissist: psychoanalytic term for the person who loves himself more than his analyst considered to be the manifestation of a dire mental disease whose successful treatment depends on the patient learning to love the analyst more and himself less.
I was a bartender for a long time, so I know how to make drinks, but I'm more likely to offer them than to have them. I think this is one of the reasons why I get to live longer than my great-grandmother did, and why I get to produce more writing than she did, and why my marriage isn't in dire straits.
Misspelled Formdire, sdire, edire, fdire, xdire, cdire, sire, eire, fire, xire, cire, dsire, deire, dfire, dxire, dcire, duire, d8ire, d9ire, doire, djire, dkire, dure, d8re, d9re, dore, djre, dkre, diure, di8re, di9re, diore, dijre, dikre, diere, di4re, di5re, ditre, difre, diee, di4e, di5e, dite, dife, diree, dir4e, dir5e, dirte, dirfe, dirwe, dir3e, dir4e, dirre, dirse, dirde, dirw, dir3, dir4, dirr, dirs, dird, direw, dire3, dire4, direr, dires, dired.
Other Usage ExamplesA pregnant woman facing the most dire circumstances must be able to count on her doctor to do what is medically necessary to protect her from serious physical harm.
I was proud to share the stories of my friends at Georgetown Law who have suffered dire medical consequences because our student insurance does not cover contraception for the purpose of preventing pregnancy.
Across the country military families are facing dire financial circumstances due to longer than expected tours of duties. They are being penalized for their patriotism - no one should have to choose between doing right by their country and doing right by their families.
If the amount of money going into the war economy were invested in landscape restoration, we would be in a far more positive position. It may get a little dire before we pull together, but I think when the prosperous nations, and in particular the U.S., realize they're wrecking their own kids' lives, there will be a mass change in value.
Nothing has more strength than dire necessity.
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