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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dire
Jahmil Eady – Freaky As gentrifiers take over her neighborhood, a Gullah Geechee woman, Annabelle (Melanie Nicholls-King) calls on ancestral knowledge, which has dire consequences for the newcomers who have begun to take over the land, ignorant of its history.
—
Richard Newby, HollywoodReporter, 27 Apr. 2026
For a population already weakened by years of pneumonia and decline, a new highly contagious eye infection could compound an already dire situation.
—Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 27 Apr. 2026
Gaza’s most dire conditions — the lack of food and medicine, continuing Israeli attacks, destroyed hospitals, schools and residential buildings, homelessness and overcrowding — now include rodents, climbing temperatures and open-air sewage.
—Jeremy Mikula, NBC news, 26 Apr. 2026
But so far this season has been dire for each of them.
—ABC News, 26 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dire
Richard Newby, HollywoodReporter, 27 Apr. 2026
For a population already weakened by years of pneumonia and decline, a new highly contagious eye infection could compound an already dire situation.
—Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 27 Apr. 2026
Gaza’s most dire conditions — the lack of food and medicine, continuing Israeli attacks, destroyed hospitals, schools and residential buildings, homelessness and overcrowding — now include rodents, climbing temperatures and open-air sewage.
—Jeremy Mikula, NBC news, 26 Apr. 2026
But so far this season has been dire for each of them.
—ABC News, 26 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dire
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dire
Adjective
-
As the cave shakes and thunders, the scene gets more ominous.—
Megan duBois,
Southern Living,
4 May 2026
-
Stay vigilant by monitoring the sky for ominous signs and listening for the telltale sound of thunder.—
Southern California Weather Report,
Oc Register,
4 May 2026
Adjective
-
For most people, the idea of ceding control to a robot is out there at best; downright terrifying at worst.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
9 May 2026
-
One of those terrifying moments happened on a public stairwell.—
Lexi Lane,
PEOPLE,
9 May 2026
Adjective
-
There were also objections from bigger carriers such as United, which had an urgent financial interest in seeing the back of a pesky cheap competitor.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
11 May 2026
-
Pay attention to what feels sustainable, not just urgent.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
10 May 2026
Adjective
-
The job market is showing intermittent signs of recovery after a bleak 2025.—
Paul Wiseman,
Los Angeles Times,
8 May 2026
-
The outlook appeared so bleak that Alexey Miranchuk gestured to the heavens and said, if the team could acquire help from a higher power and get a road win, maybe the ship could be steered in the right direction.—
Amna Subhan,
AJC.com,
7 May 2026
Adjective
-
These forces would collide on the Near West Side on a spring evening, against the backdrop of labor unrest, union activity and a hint of influence from a sinister anarchist movement.—
Michael Peregrine,
Chicago Tribune,
4 May 2026
-
In terms of all-time hero's journeys, his is up there, from his humble beginnings on Tatooine to learning of his sinister dad to becoming a Jedi master to sacrificing himself to help the Resistance.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
3 May 2026
Adjective
-
Last month, despite Orbán’s formidable, long-standing attempts to rig the legal and electoral systems in his favor, Magyar won, in a stunning upset.—
Andrew Marantz,
New Yorker,
9 May 2026
-
Stockton, who formed a formidable tandem with fellow Jazz superstar Karl Malone, is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
8 May 2026
Adjective
-
After the primary autopsy, the coroner concluded Jackson's death was from acute Propofol intoxication, which caused the singer to go into cardiac arrest, NPR reported.—
Alex Gurley,
PEOPLE,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Almost half are personally afraid of losing their job to AI, ranking it among the most acute individual stressors measured in the survey.—
Jessica Guynn,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Because what could be more depressing than just passively watching the world burn and melt and crumble?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 May 2026
-
This level of security is a depressing necessity in modern-day Britain.—
Alexander Smith,
NBC news,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dire. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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