Meaning & use
dire
Extremely serious, urgent, or dreadful in nature.
See it in a sentence
The doctors described his condition as dire after the accident.
The village faced dire consequences if the drought continued much longer.
A note on using this word
Dire is a strong word reserved for genuinely alarming situations; using it for minor problems can sound exaggerated.
Words with a similar meaning
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “dire”, then compare your use with the examples above.
Your draft stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.