Meaning & use
direful
Last updated
Meaning
adjectivenot comparableliterary
causing great fear or suffering; extremely bad or frightening.
Grammar: Not usually compared: say 'a direful event', not 'more direful'.
Patterns
- a direful event
- direful news
- direful consequences
The poem describes a direful storm that destroyed the village.
News of the direful battle spread quickly through the kingdom.
They spoke of direful times ahead if the crops failed again.
Common combinations
- a direful day
- It was a direful day for the whole family.
- direful news
- The messenger brought direful news from the front.
- direful consequences
- The king feared the direful consequences of his decision.
Synonyms and how they differ
- dreadful
- Much more common in modern English and used for anything very bad or unpleasant.
- dire
- Shorter and still used today, especially for serious danger or trouble.
- frightful
- Similar in tone but more often used for things that shock or scare.
Opposites
Word family
- dire adjective
- extremely serious or urgent
- direfully adverb
- in a dreadful or frightening way (rare)
Commonly confused: direful or dutiful? direful or dreadful?
direful vs dutiful
Dutiful means doing what you should; direful means causing fear or suffering.
direful vs dreadful
Dreadful is the everyday word; direful is literary and rare.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'direful' most naturally?
Choose one answer.
'Direful' is an adjective meaning frightening or terrible, so it fits before 'storm'. The other options use it as a verb, adverb or for a mild everyday situation where it does not fit.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “direful”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.