Printer Friendly
Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary
1,733,902,822 visitors served.
forum mailing list For webmasters
?
New: Language forums
Dictionary/
thesaurus
Medical
dictionary
Legal
dictionary
Financial
dictionary
Acronyms
 
Idioms
Encyclopedia
Wikipedia
encyclopedia
?

direful

   Also found in: Legal, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia 0.06 sec.
dire·ful  (drfl)
adj.
1. Inspiring dread; terrible.
2. Foreshadowing evil or disaster; ominous.
direful·ly adv.
direful·ness n.
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Adj.1.direful - 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"
dread, dreaded, dreadful, fearsome, frightening, horrendous, terrible, awful, dire, horrific, fearful
alarming - frightening because of an awareness of danger


How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content.
?Page tools
Printer friendly
Cite / link
Email
Feedback
Add definition
? Mentioned in ? References in classic literature
 
They had been accustomed to each other's appearance, and to the gradual operation of hunger and hardship upon their frames, but the change in the looks of these men, since last they parted, was a type of the famine and desolation of the land; and they now began to indulge the horrible presentiment that they would all starve together, or be reduced to the direful alternative of casting lots!
Astoria or Anecdotes of an enterprise beyond the Rocky Mountains by Irving, Washington View in context
The most direful blow from the elephant's trunk were as the playful tap of a fan, compared with the measureless crush and crash of the sperm whale's ponderous flukes, which in repeated instances have one after the other hurled entire boats with all their oars and crews into the air, very much as an Indian juggler tosses his balls.
Moby Dick LXVIII-CXXXIV by Melville, Herman View in context
Those of the little band who escaped fled in consternation to the camp, and spread direful reports of the force and ferocity of the enemy.
The Adventures of Captain Bonneville, U.S.A., in the Rocky Mountains and the far West by Irving, Washington View in context
More results
 
Dictionary/thesaurus browser? ? Full browser
 
 
Dictionary, Thesaurus, and Translations
?

Disclaimer | Privacy policy | Feedback | Copyright © 2009 Farlex, Inc.
All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional. Terms of Use.