causing fear or dread or terror
"the awful war"
"an awful risk"
"dire news"
"a career or vengeance so direful that London was shocked"
"the dread presence of the headmaster"
"polio is no longer the dreaded disease it once was"
"a dreadful storm"
"a fearful howling"
"horrendous explosions shook the city"
"a terrible curse"
Warning of bad consequences: ill-boding; portentous.
"The dark clouds gathering on the horizon offered a dire warning that a storm was approaching soon."
In plain English: Dire means extremely serious and causing great fear or trouble.
"The situation became dire when they ran out of food and water during the storm."
Usage: Use dire to emphasize extreme severity or urgency, often in phrases like "dire need," rather than simply meaning "bad." Avoid confusing it with similar adjectives by reserving it for situations where the stakes are critically high.
The word dire comes from the Latin term dīrus, which originally meant fearful or ominous. It traveled into English to describe something extremely serious or dangerous.