The AI-powered English dictionary
comparative direr or more dire, superlative direst or most dire
Warning of bad consequences: ill-boding; portentous. examples
Requiring action to prevent bad consequences: urgent, pressing. quotations examples
One of the hidden glories of Victorian engineering is proper drains. […] But out of sight is out of mind. And that, together with the inherent yuckiness of the subject, means that many old sewers have been neglected and are in dire need of repair.
2014 June 14, “It's a gas”, in The Economist, volume 411, number 8891
Expressing bad consequences: dreadful; dismal. quotations examples
Cristiana Paşca Palmer, the executive secretary of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, said the destruction of the world’s biggest rainforest was a grim reminder that a fresh approach needed to stabilise the climate and prevent ecosystems from declining to a point of no return, with dire consequences for humanity.
2019 August 30, Jonathan Watts, “Amazon fires show world heading for point of no return, says UN”, in The Guardian
(informal) Bad in quality, awful, terrible. quotations examples
A second Norwich goal in four minutes arrived after some dire Newcastle defending. Gosling gave the ball away with a sloppy back-pass, allowing Crofts to curl in a cross that the unmarked Morison powered in with a firm, 12-yard header.
2011 December 10, Arindam Rej, “Norwich 4-2 Newcastle”, in BBC Sport