First Known Use: 1565
Dictionary
dire
adjective \ˈdī(-ə)r\
: very bad : causing great fear or worry
: warning of disaster : showing a very bad future
: requiring immediate action : very urgent
dir·erdir·est
Full Definition of DIRE
1
a : exciting horror <dire suffering> b : dismal, oppressive <dire days>
2
: warning of disaster <a dire forecast>
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Examples of DIRE
- The alleged threat posed by Yellowstone's 3,600 buffalo came from the fact that they carry brucella, a bacterium that cycles harmlessly enough in Bison bison but has considerably more dire effects on cattle. —Christopher Ketcham, Harper's , June 2008
- Whether one is a lowly farmer or an urban worker, a student, professional, or a member of the elite, a meal is not complete unless rice is served to accompany the main viand of pork, fish, chicken, beef, vegetables or in the most dire circumstances, dry fish or salt. —Georgina R. Encanto, Food , April 2000
- All wild tigers are threatened with extinction, but Sumatran tigers are in especially dire straits because the world's zoos have only 235 of them in captive-breeding programs. —Audubon, November-December 1998
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Origin of DIRE
Latin dirus; akin to Greek deinos terrifying, Sanskrit dveṣṭi he hates
Related to DIRE
- Synonyms
- baleful, ominous, direful, doomy, foreboding, ill, ill-boding, inauspicious, menacing, minatory, portentous, sinister, threatening
- Antonyms
- unthreatening
DIRE Defined for Kids
dire
adjective \ˈdīr\
dir·erdir·est
Definition of DIRE for Kids
1
: causing horror or worry : dreadful <a dire warning>
2
: very urgent or serious <in dire need>
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