adj, name, slang ·Common ·Middle school level

Definitions

Adjective

1. 1
   Warning of bad consequences: ill-boding; portentous.

   "dire omens"

2. 2
   Requiring action to prevent bad consequences: urgent, pressing.

   "dire need (of)"

3. 3
   Expressing bad consequences: dreadful; dismal.

   "dire consequences;  to be in dire straits"

4. 4
   Bad in quality, awful, terrible. informal

   "His dire blunder allowed her to checkmate him with her next move."

5. 5
   Ferocious and of intimidating appearance, like a dire wolf.

Adjective

1. 1
   causing fear or dread or terror wordnet
2. 2
   fraught with extreme danger; nearly hopeless wordnet

Proper Noun

1. 1
   A surname.

Synonyms

All synonyms

criticaldismalmiserablesullenabominableabysmal

Antonyms

All antonyms

finger-lickin' goodfireballgrouseinauspicious

Example

More examples

"You're always there for me, so if you're ever in dire straits, just let me know and I'll come running."

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin dīrus (“fearful, ominous”).

Related phrases

dire sistersdire straitsdire wolfill bodingvoir dire

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.