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.
3.
urgent; desperate: in dire need of food.
Origin:
1560–70; < Latin dīrus fearful, unlucky
1560–70; < Latin dīrus fearful, unlucky
Related forms
dire·ly, adverb
dire·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
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Link To Dire
Collins
World English Dictionary
dire (daɪə) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —adj | |
| 1. | Also: direful disastrous; fearful |
| 2. | desperate; urgent: a dire need |
| 3. | foreboding disaster; ominous: a dire warning |
| [C16: from Latin dīrus ominous, fearful; related to Greek deos fear] | |
| 'direly | |
| —adv | |
| 'direness | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
00:10
Dire
is always a great word to know.
So is zedonk. Does it mean:
| a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison. |
| the offspring of a zebra and a donkey. |
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
dire
1567, from L. dirus "fearful, awful, boding ill," from Oscan and Umbrian, cognate with Gk. deinos, from PIE base *dwei-.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Cite This Source
Example sentences
But he would be greatly weakened, with dire consequences for his ability to meet many other urgent challenges.
They are also in dire need of medical attention, with bruises and cuts being untreated.
The dire implications of an aging faculty preoccupy a lot of academic pundits.
Some experts expect its effects to be less dire than first feared.
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