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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of dire Speaking to The Times earlier, when asked if this dire moment might call for Rage’s return, Morello was circumspect about the band’s future. August Brown, Los Angeles Times, 17 June 2025 What are two fashion trends that your closet is in dire need of before summer is in full swing? Katie Decker-Jacoby, StyleCaster, 17 June 2025 The filing said Redmond has been looking for a financial settlement but that the village has said, in and out of court, that Dolton is in dire financial condition and faces massive settlements from lawsuits. Mike Nolan, Chicago Tribune, 16 June 2025 Paulie sent Combs a dire warning about an apparent violent episode between Combs and his girlfriend Gina while the trio were in Atlanta. Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 15 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for dire
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dire
Adjective
  • If the sky turns ominous and thunder can be heard, find a secure place for shelter.
    NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 29 June 2025
  • The ominous, now classic two-note sequence is among American culture’s most recognizable tunes.
    Tracy Scott Forson, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 June 2025
Adjective
  • Whether the result of drugs, alcohol or general hysteria, these terrifying men would enter trance-like states and charge into battle, ignoring severe injuries and collapsing into a feeble heap immediately after the fight concluded.
    Drew Gerber, Forbes.com, 20 June 2025
  • John Hoffman via Facebook In a statement released on Thursday night, the Hoffman family recounted the terrifying attack, saying they were woken up by someone impersonating an officer who was banging on their door at 2 a.m.
    Stephen Swanson, CBS News, 20 June 2025
Adjective
  • In response, researchers and experts are sounding the alarm—calling for urgent, comprehensive solutions to reverse these trends and support youth wellbeing.
    Semafor Events, semafor.com, 30 June 2025
  • Too Much Going On Limits Executive Team Performance Today’s executive teams are pulled in more directions than ever—global priorities, cross-functional initiatives, urgent issues, never-ending decks.
    Elizabeth Freedman, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025
Adjective
  • During that bleak era, Che-Chung Tsai, a researcher at the University of Washington, contacted several companies, seeking experimental drugs for use in an animal study.
    Jon Cohen, New Yorker, 24 June 2025
  • That said, Google’s latest survey paints a bleak picture.
    Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025
Adjective
  • The Academy Award winner looks sinister and well-suited as a leader in some kind of underground workspace (one that resembles a NASA control room and the like).
    Matt Donnelly, Variety, 27 June 2025
  • But those few seconds don’t erase all the fleeting, sinister impressions that came before — and that turn out not to have been fleeting, after all.
    Tom Gliatto, People.com, 21 June 2025
Adjective
  • But Martone is one of the very best prospects in this draft and gives the Flyers size, high-end skill (he’s got plus traits as a shooter, handler and playmaker), and a formidable one-two punch at right wing with Matvei Michkov.
    Scott Wheeler, New York Times, 27 June 2025
  • The actress portrayed formidable sensei Kim Da-Eun on the Netflix series that ended in February after six seasons.
    Raechal Shewfelt, EW.com, 26 June 2025
Adjective
  • Since then, Ben & Jerry’s politics have been a headache for its parent, and the tensions between the two have grown more acute as the business community got swept into the culture wars — first pulled to the left in the mid-2010s, then retreating rightward under the second Trump administration.
    Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 30 June 2025
  • Decades later, that feeling is more acute: the gay beach in Chicago where it was taken no longer exists, memorialized today by a 2.5-acre garden in memory of those who lost their lives to AIDS.
    Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 29 June 2025
Adjective
  • And on that depressing thought, that's how Squid Game ended.
    EW.com, EW.com, 27 June 2025
  • That’s a depressing setup, but the film is a lot gentler.
    Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 27 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Dire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dire. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.

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