1
as in ominous
being or showing a sign of evil or calamity to come
a dire forecast of a plunge in stock prices
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in terrifying
causing fear
a series of dire tremors that hinted at a huge volcanic eruption
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in urgent
needing immediate attention
a dire need for food and medicine in the famine-stricken country
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in bleak
causing or marked by an atmosphere lacking in cheer
with stock prices steadily falling, these are dire days on the trading floor
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of dire
Corn and sugar farmers were in dire financial straits, too.
—
Mark Dent, thehustle.co, 10 Jan. 2025
Lebanon, its economy still reeling from a devastating financial collapse in 2019, is in dire need of international support to rebuild from the war, which the World Bank estimates cost the country $8.5 billion.
—Reuters, NBC News, 9 Jan. 2025
The dire display in the 1-0 defeat away to Bournemouth, where Everton barely laid a glove on their opponents and their limitations were laid bare, saw any remaining support for Dyche from the fanbase wilt away.
—Patrick Boyland, The Athletic, 9 Jan. 2025
This week’s dire weather forecasts, and public safety warnings, are filled with some unfamiliar terms and abbreviations.
—Gary Robbins, The Mercury News, 8 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for dire 
Mark Dent, thehustle.co, 10 Jan. 2025
Lebanon, its economy still reeling from a devastating financial collapse in 2019, is in dire need of international support to rebuild from the war, which the World Bank estimates cost the country $8.5 billion.
—Reuters, NBC News, 9 Jan. 2025
The dire display in the 1-0 defeat away to Bournemouth, where Everton barely laid a glove on their opponents and their limitations were laid bare, saw any remaining support for Dyche from the fanbase wilt away.
—Patrick Boyland, The Athletic, 9 Jan. 2025
This week’s dire weather forecasts, and public safety warnings, are filled with some unfamiliar terms and abbreviations.
—Gary Robbins, The Mercury News, 8 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for dire
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dire
Adjective
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His bruises caught by the window’s light, his good side cast in ominous shadow, Martian’s focus shifts from the people on the other side of the glass to the man staring back at him in it.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
24 Jan. 2025
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The second season of The Night Agent shows Peter on the other end of the line for that ominous White House basement phone.—
Emily Blackwood,
People.com,
23 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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What’s more terrifying than losing control of your physical and mental self as your most primal, animalistic instincts take the wheel?—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
15 Jan. 2025
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The stability and flexibility around Josh Allen makes for a terrifying formula.—
Derrik Klassen,
The Athletic,
15 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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For example, any urgent messages regarding H5N1 bird flu, which is spreading to people in the U.S., would be delayed.—
Evan Moore,
Charlotte Observer,
24 Jan. 2025
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More than 90% of Gazans are homeless, according to the U.N., and there is an urgent need for tents and other shelters.—
Ghada Abdulfattah,
The Christian Science Monitor,
24 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Matt Harrison, president of Kuka Home North America, which has a furniture manufacturing base in Monterrey, fears the future could be bleak.—
David Culver,
CNN,
18 Jan. 2025
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The negotiations have seemingly stalled and the market for him is bleak.—
Yaakov Katz,
Newsweek,
16 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The Alaska story represents Perkins’ tireless brainstorming of ways to help and also, perhaps, her blind spot to a more sinister history of American settler colonialism.—
Sara Georgini,
Smithsonian Magazine,
21 Jan. 2025
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After Season 1 introduced viewers to the offbeat, sinister world of Lumon Industries, the Innies that make up its workforce, and the Outies compartmentalizing their lives, Season 2 is now unfolding deeper, stranger intricacies that speak to how corporations deal with dissenters.—
Harrison Richlin,
IndieWire,
19 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Despite this, in 1980, in a turning point that helped give rise to the formidable power of the New Right, Reagan continued to lean heavily on the Panama issue in his successful campaign against Carter.—
Julie Greene / Made by History,
TIME,
22 Jan. 2025
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When Judkins’ 70-yard run set up his 1-yard scoring run for a 28-7 lead, Leonard and the Fighting Irish faced a formidable deficit that couldn’t be addressed on more quarterback keepers.—
Charles Odum,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Hot flashes are sudden and intense feelings of heat - heat that is especially acute over the neck, chest, and face, explains Dr. Ruta Nonacs, a perinatal and reproductive psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital and an instructor at Harvard Medical School.—
Daryl Austin,
USA TODAY,
24 Jan. 2025
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The problem is so acute that Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, recently appointed a housing czar to spur a search for solutions in Europe.—
Liz Alderman,
New York Times,
23 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Viewership increased, the Afternoon Depression Zone grew less depressing, everyone seemed happier.—
Kimberlee Speakman,
People.com,
23 Jan. 2025
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As well as Inauguration Day and Martin Luther King Jr. Day, today is known as Blue Monday – thought to be the most depressing day of the year.—
Alyssa Jaffer,
Forbes,
20 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near dire
Cite this Entry
“Dire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dire. Accessed 29 Jan. 2025.
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