dire — extremely serious or urgent; warning of or presaging disaster
Part of speech: ADJECTIVE
Definition: extremely serious or urgent; warning of or presaging disaster
Pronunciation (IPA): /ˈdaɪər/
Example Sentences
- My phone battery is at 1% and I'm lost in the city - this is a dire situation!
- The doctor's dire prognosis left the family in shock.
- Students are in dire need of coffee during final exams week.
dire
ADJECTIVE[/ˈdaɪər/]
extremely serious or urgent; warning of or presaging disaster
Extremely urgent medical crisis
A dire wire starts a fire!
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
From Latin 'dirus' meaning terrible, dreadful, or ominous. The word entered English through Old French and has maintained its sense of extreme seriousness or warning of disaster since medieval times.
Breakdown
'dire' is a simple adjective with no productive morphemes in English; it comes directly from Latin 'dirus' (terrible, awful, ominous)
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“My phone battery is at 1% and I'm lost in the city - this is a dire situation!”
“The doctor's dire prognosis left the family in shock.”
“Students are in dire need of coffee during final exams week.”
“Climate scientists issued dire warnings about rising sea levels.”
📚Related Words
Synonyms
Antonyms
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