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dire

   Also found in: Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia 0.20 sec.
dire  (dr)
adj. dir·er, dir·est
1. Warning of or having dreadful or terrible consequences; calamitous: a dire economic forecast; dire threats.
2. Urgent; desperate: in dire need; dire poverty.

[Latin drus, fearsome, terrible; akin to Greek deinos.]

direly adv.
direness n.

dire
Adjective
disastrous, urgent, or terrible: he was now in dire financial straits [Latin dirus ominous]
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Adj.1.dire - 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"
critical - being in or verging on a state of crisis or emergency; "a critical shortage of food"; "a critical illness"; "an illness at the critical stage"
2.dire - 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"
alarming - frightening because of an awareness of danger

dire
Translations
dire [daɪəʳ] adjcalamitoso

dire [daɪəʳ] adj [poverty] → extrême (= awful); affreux/euse

dire [daɪəʳ] adjschrecklich

dire [daɪəʳ] adjterribile; estremo/a

dire
adj dire [ˈdaiə]
dreadful; perilous. vreeslike رَهيب، مُفْزِع، مُنْذِر بِكارِثَه ужасен hrozný skrækkelig; forfærdelig; risikabel gräßlich φοβερός, επικίνδυνος terrible, espantoso, atroz kohutav وحشتناک؛ سهمگین hirveä terrible נוֹרָא, אָיוֹם भयानक, खतरनाक strašan, poguban szörnyű berbahaya hræðilegur, ógnþrunginn tremendo 恐ろしい 무서운 baisus drausmīgs; šausmīgs hebat vreselijk forferdelig; i dyp nød straszny perigoso groaz­nic, cumplit ужасный strašný, nebezpečný strašen porazan gräslig, förfärlig, hemsk เลวร้ายมาก korkunç, müthiş 可怕的 жахливий, страшний المناک thảm khốc


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? Mentioned in ? References in classic literature
 
The Spaniel stopped short in dire consternation, and, after regarding the Bulldog a moment from a safe distance, said:
But Oedipus spurns the hypocrite, and invokes a dire curse on both his unnatural sons.
how chang'd From him, who in the happy Realms of Light Cloth'd with transcendent brightnes didst outshine Myriads though bright: If he whom mutual league, United thoughts and counsels, equal hope, And hazard in the Glorious Enterprize, Joynd with me once, now misery hath joynd In equal ruin: into what Pit thou seest From what highth fal'n, so much the stronger provd He with his Thunder: and till then who knew The force of those dire Arms?
 
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