1
as in ominous
being or showing a sign of evil or calamity to come
the stock market crash was the first direful indication of the dark days to come
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in terrifying
causing fear
heard the direful howling of the wolves during the night
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for direful
Adjective
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There’s the ominous sense that the monkeys lurking around the resort might just be the same ones wielding swords in the frescoes.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
16 Feb. 2025 -
Those recall notices referred to a permanent solution without specifying what that might be—something that could be read as ominous or hopeful.—
Eric Bangeman,
Ars Technica,
14 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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His first book, Dark Days vividly and unflinchingly chronicled his terrifying experience being jailed on charges of manslaughter (he was acquitted on all counts).—
Bill Kopp,
SPIN,
20 Feb. 2025
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For those who have watched DOGE storm into their workplace, what is perhaps most terrifying is its attempts to scale.—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
19 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Her decision to give her baby up for adoption exposes the sinister dealings of Dagmar Overbye (Trine Dyrholm), the female Danish serial killer whose true-life murder of dozens of children in the 1910s inspired the film.—
Brande Victorian,
The Hollywood Reporter,
13 Feb. 2025
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The instrumental is decidedly sinister, and his vocals sound eerily similar to Michael’s.—
Matthew Ismael Ruiz,
Vulture,
12 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Driving the news: Berger has successfully staved off challengers for more than two decades, but Page could prove to be a formidable primary opponent should the two face off next year.—
Lucille Sherman,
Axios,
14 Feb. 2025
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In any case, Spanberger could be a formidable opponent.—
Ross O'Keefe,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
14 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Slimani is a hardened criminal made less menacing by Kateb’s faltering rhythms in English, the gang’s lingua franca.—
Ben Kenigsberg,
New York Times,
20 Feb. 2025
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Others see something darker and more menacing for the country and its future.—
Chris Megerian,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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There are so many horrible things happening in the world.—
Marta Balaga,
Variety,
18 Feb. 2025
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Still, a light at the end of this very horrible long tunnel might be a bit more visible at this time.—
Greg Palkot,
Fox News,
15 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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There have been plenty of terrible Oscar hosts over the years but this was a car crash that could easily have been avoided.—
Radhika Seth,
Vogue,
15 Feb. 2025
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Secrets bob to the surface like drowning victims from the deep until nobody — not even the reader — can easily separate the terrible truth from even more terrible fictions.—
M.L. Rio,
New York Times,
14 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Bates is frightening in her stillness, which makes Annie’s sudden bursts of violence all the more horrifying.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
21 Feb. 2025
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But former Chicago White Sox closer Liam Hendriks has pitched just five innings since 2022 due to Tommy John surgery and, even more frightening, a battle with stage 4 non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.—
Tom Rogers,
Newsweek,
21 Feb. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Direful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/direful. Accessed 1 Mar. 2025.
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