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dire

adjective
\ ˈdī(-ə)r How to pronounce dire (audio) \
direr; direst

Definition of dire

1a : exciting horror dire suffering
b : dismal, oppressive dire days
2 : warning of disaster a dire forecast
3a : desperately urgent in dire need of assistance
b : extreme dire poverty
Other Words from dire Synonyms & Antonyms Dire Straits and Furies More Example Sentences Learn More about dire

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Other Words from dire

direly adverb
direness noun

Dire Straits and Furies

Dire and fury share a history in Roman mythology, as each of these words is connected to the Erinyes, the avenging and terrifying deities of ancient myth who tormented criminals. The Romans referred to these goddesses as either the Dirae or the Furiae. The former is from the Latin word dirus, from which dire is descended, and the latter comes from furere, from where we get fury. The word dire is often found in conjunction with straits; in dire straits is used of a situation that is very bad or difficult. Our records indicate that this phrase began to be used in English at the end of the 18th century, when it appeared in Francis Fawkes’s The Argonautics of Apollonius Rhodius: “When now the heroes through the vast profound, Reach the dire straits with rocks encompass’d round.”

Examples of dire in a Sentence

The alleged threat posed by Yellowstone's 3,600 buffalo came from the fact that they carry brucella, a bacterium that cycles harmlessly enough in Bison bison but has considerably more dire effects on cattle. — Christopher Ketcham, Harper's, June 2008 Whether one is a lowly farmer or an urban worker, a student, professional, or a member of the elite, a meal is not complete unless rice is served to accompany the main viand of pork, fish, chicken, beef, vegetables or in the most dire circumstances, dry fish or salt. — Georgina R. Encanto, Food, April 2000 All wild tigers are threatened with extinction, but Sumatran tigers are in especially dire straits because the world's zoos have only 235 of them in captive-breeding programs. — Audubon, November-December 1998 The circumstances are now more dire than ever. Some analysts are issuing dire economic forecasts. They live in dire poverty.
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Recent Examples on the Web

 Under the current administration, according to Del Rey, the country is in dire need of protest music. — Anjana Pawa, Teen Vogue, "If You Think Taylor Swift Is the Only Artist Making Protest Songs, You’re Just Not Listening," 10 Sep. 2019 And in ordinary parishes elsewhere, matters are not quite as dire as the hierarchical battles would suggest, as a recent incident in a small European town shows. — The Economist, "Taking sides in the Orthodox Church’s battles over Russia and Ukraine," 9 Sep. 2019 About 60,000 people may be in dire need of food relief, the World Food Programme has said. — Madeline Holcombe, CNN, "Foreign aid arrives in the Bahamas to bolster Hurricane Dorian relief efforts," 5 Sep. 2019 In the Southeast, the impacts from Hurricane Dorian do not look nearly as dire as what the Bahamas experienced, with computer models in agreement on keeping the most destructive core of the storm offshore, parallel to the coastline. — Andrew Freedman, Anchorage Daily News, "Dorian starts inching north, closer to Florida, Georgia and Carolinas," 3 Sep. 2019 The situation today isn’t nearly as dire as in September 2008, when the U.S. and the world were heading into the Great Recession. — Josh Boak, BostonGlobe.com, "White House insists fundamentals of US economy ‘very strong’," 20 Aug. 2019 The situation today isn’t nearly as dire as in September 2008, when the U.S. and the world were heading into the Great Recession. — Josh Boak, The Denver Post, "White House insists fundamentals of U.S. economy “very strong”," 20 Aug. 2019 In Happiness, As Such, the political stakes are significantly less, but the underlying pain and anguish feel just as dire. — Abhrajyoti Chakraborty, The New Republic, "Natalia Ginzburg’s Radical Clarity," 5 Aug. 2019 As if that financial picture wasn’t dire enough, the flamboyant Manhattan real estate mogul also was coming off the costly, scandalous 1992 divorce from first wife Ivana. — Martha Ross, The Mercury News, "Trump’s ‘draconian’ prenup with Marla Maples revealed: No support for Tiffany if she joined military or Peace Corps," 5 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'dire.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of dire

1565, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

History and Etymology for dire

Latin dirus; akin to Greek deinos terrifying, Sanskrit dveáčŁáč­i he hates

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More Definitions for dire

dire

adjective
How to pronounce dire (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of dire

: very bad : causing great fear or worry
: warning of disaster : showing a very bad future
: requiring immediate action : very urgent

See the full definition for dire in the English Language Learners Dictionary

dire

adjective
\ ˈdīr How to pronounce dire (audio) \
direr; direst

Kids Definition of dire

1 : causing horror or worry : dreadful a dire warning
2 : very urgent or serious in dire need

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More from Merriam-Webster on dire

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with dire

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for dire

Spanish Central: Translation of dire

Nglish: Translation of dire for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of dire for Arabic Speakers

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