Synonyms for dire
daɪərdire

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. dire

   Awful should not be used of things which are merely disagreeable or annoying, nor of all that are alarming and terrible, but only of such as bring a solemn awe upon the soul, as in the presence of a superior power; as, the awful hush before the battle. That which is awful arouses an oppressive, that which is august an admiring reverence; we speak of the august presence of a mighty monarch, the awful presence of death. We speak of an exalted station, a grand mountain, an imposing presence, a majestic cathedral, a noble mien, a solemn litany, a stately march, an august assembly, the awful scene of the Judgment Day.

   Synonyms:
   alarming, appalling, august, awful, direful, dread, dreadful, fearful, frightful, grand, horrible, imposing, majestic, noble, portentous, shocking, solemn, stately, terrible, terrific

   Antonyms:
   base, beggarly, commonplace, contemptible, despicable, humble, inferior, lowly, mean, paltry, undignified, vulgar

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. desperate, direadjective

   fraught with extreme danger; nearly hopeless

   "a desperate illness"; "on all fronts the Allies were in a desperate situation due to lack of materiel"- G.C.Marshall; "a dire emergency"

   Synonyms:
   dread(a), fearful, dreaded, terrible, do-or-die(a), horrendous, fearsome, horrific, heroic, desperate, awful, frightening, despairing, direful, dreadful

   Antonyms:
   unalarming, noncritical, noncrucial

2. awful, dire, direful, dread(a), dreaded, dreadful, fearful, fearsome, frightening, horrendous, horrific, terribleadjective

   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"

   Antonyms:
   noncrucial, noncritical, unalarming

Dictionary of English SynonymesRate these synonyms:1.0 / 1 vote

1. direadjective

   Synonyms:
   dreadful, fearful, direful, shocking, terrible, horrid, horrible, awful, terrific, tremendous

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:0.0 / 0 votes

1. List of paraphrases for "dire":

   terrible, disastrous, desperate, appalling, serious, calamitous, dreadful, tragic, catastrophic, extreme, horrific, horrendous, horrible, difficult, severe, grave, awful, painful, dramatic, grim, pressing, hopeless, urgent, baleful, bleak, devastating

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How to use dire in a sentence?

1. Janet Coffman:

   Definitely some hospitals, particularly in the Los Angeles area, were at the breaking point, but we did not see that much use of the alternate care sites relative to what was contemplated, as dire as the situation was in the winter, it could have been even worse.

2. State John Kerry on Tuesday:

   I know that the situation for Palestinians in the West Bank, in Jerusalem, in Gaza is, at this moment, very dire, that there are extraordinary concerns, obviously, about the violence.

3. Euripides:

   Nothing has more strength than dire necessity.

4. President Trump:

   There are dire threats to our security and to our way of life -- you see what’s happening out there -- they are threats, we will confront them and we will win -- but they are threats.

5. Pope Francis:

   The pace of consumption, waste and environmental change has so stretched the planet's capacity that our contemporary lifestyle, unsustainable as it is, can only precipitate catastrophes, such as those which even now periodically occur in different areas of the world ... we need to reflect on our accountability before those who will have to endure the dire consequences.