World Languages Lexicon
10 Language-to-English DictionariesDire
/daɪər/Comprehensive Definitions & Senses
2 senses- 1
Extremely serious or urgent; signaling severe danger, trouble, or disaster.
"The refugees were trapped in dire circumstances with little hope of immediate rescue." - 2
Of a very poor quality; lamentable or dreadful.
"The company was in dire financial trouble after losing its primary investors."
Thesaurus & Semantic Spectrum
Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology
Derived from the Latin adjective 'dirus', meaning fearful, awful, or ominous. It entered the English language in the late 16th century, initially retaining its classical connotation of supernatural dread or disaster before evolving to describe any situation or consequence of extreme urgency and severity.
Which of the following is the closest synonym for "Dire"?
10 Global Lexicons: How "Dire" is said worldwide
Click any language below to open its dedicated Language to English dictionary page with native script & transliteration
effroyable
Transliteration: /e.fʁwa.jabl/
"La situation était dans des circonstances effroyables."
verzweifelt
Transliteration: /fɛɐ̯ˈtsvaɪfl̩t/
"Sie befanden sich in einer verzweifelten Lage."
grave
Transliteration: /ˈɡraː.ve/
"Si trovavano in circostanze molto gravi."
terrible
Transliteration: /teˈɾi.βle/
"Estaban viviendo en circunstancias terribles."
terrível
Transliteration: /teˈʁi.vɛw/
"Eles estavam em circunstâncias terríveis."
गंभीर
Transliteration: gambhir
"वे बहुत गंभीर परिस्थितियों में फंसे हुए थे।"
严峻的
Transliteration: yánjùn de
"他们当时处境严峻。"
참혹한
Transliteration: chamhokan
"그들은 참혹한 상황에 처해 있었다."
深刻な
Transliteration: shinkokuna
"彼らは深刻な状況に置かれていた。"
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