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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If the sky turns ominous and thunder can be heard, find a secure place for shelter.
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Listening to most records felt shaky, ominous, like reintroducing food after a stomach bug.
Adjective
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This terrifying, wondrous circle spinning around us here on Earth.
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What would be terrifying is to not have that opportunity.
Adjective
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Disclosure Day sees Daniel (O'Connor) and Margaret (Blunt) racing to evade the sinister Wardex corporation with the ultimate goal of disclosure.
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Over the past decade, Pride Nights have morphed into something much larger, radical and sinister, in my opinion.
Adjective
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More than 30 years ago, Anna and her manager and trusted companion, Betsy Samson (a formidable Denise Burse), fled to Europe on the heels of a highbrow scandal.
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Sure, Carpenter’s cut-the-ruggers are pizzazzing with their flips and cartwheels, but the Grande gang make formidable dance foes in the Sharks and Jets sense of the word.
Adjective
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The yin and yang found in 21 Savage’s menacing whispers over the bass and drums, derivative of Tay Keith’s style, and his stark threats over Metro Boomin’s familiar keys create atmospheric success.
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Fryer, who lives in Clifton, is now charged with assault, menacing and reckless endangerment.
Adjective
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Iran’s terrible, horrible, no good, very bad World Cup got a lot better Sunday.
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What started as a horrible mistake ended up bringing the community together.
Adjective
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The production quality was terrible.
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But in May of 1943, a terrible fire burned his studio to the ground.
Adjective
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Earlier movie versions have managed the story’s most frightening moments with the limited technology available at the time—much plastic and spongy stuff; monsters in process shots looming over little men; papier-mâché boulders flung from hilltops.
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Even more frightening, the percentage exceeded 50% in many groups, including insects, terrestrial vertebrates, and marine species.
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Cite this Entry
“Direful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/direful. Accessed 26 Jun. 2026.
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