dire
Extremely bad, urgent
Dire means extremely serious, urgent, or dreadful.
A dire situation threatens catastrophe: dire consequences, dire warnings, dire need.
The word emphasizes gravity and often implies that action is required to prevent disaster.
Something in dire straits faces desperate circumstances.
Dire can also simply mean terrible: The movie was dire.
Needing immediate attention
- pressingRequiring immediate attention
- criticalExpressing disapproval or importance
- desperateDriven by urgent need
- immediateHappening without delay
exigent · crucial · imperative · compelling · acute · emergency · necessity · crisis
Serious and worrying
- criticalExpressing disapproval or importance
- severeExtremely harsh or strict
- seriousWeighty and requiring attention
- grievousCausing intense suffering
catastrophic · calamitous · desperate · extreme · fatal · lethal · deadly · mortal
Suggesting something bad approaches
- forebodingFearful anticipation of harm
- portentousOminously significant
- menacingConveying threat or danger
- threateningExpressing intent to harm
sinister · ill-omened · inauspicious · baleful · premonitory · apocalyptic · ill-fated · fateful
urgent
Needing immediate attention
- pressingRequiring immediate attention
- criticalExpressing disapproval or importance
- desperateDriven by urgent need
immediate · exigent · crucial · imperative · compelling · acute · emergency · necessity · crisis · eleventh-hour
grave
Serious and worrying
- criticalExpressing disapproval or importance
- severeExtremely harsh or strict
- seriousWeighty and requiring attention
grievous · catastrophic · calamitous · desperate · extreme · fatal · lethal · deadly · mortal · terminal
ominous
Suggesting something bad approaches
- forebodingFearful anticipation of harm
- portentousOminously significant
- menacingConveying threat or danger
threatening · sinister · ill-omened · inauspicious · baleful · premonitory · apocalyptic · ill-fated · fateful · prophetic
predicament
Difficult, unpleasant situation
impasse · distress · hardship · trouble · peril · jeopardy · adversity · extremity · bind · fix
hopeless
Beyond possibility of success
gloomy · desolate · despairing · pessimistic · sombre · dark · dreary · cheerless · miserable · wretched
- verbsjump, be, speak, wait, do
- dramatic tonesintense, tense, suspenseful, ominous, foreboding
- menacingthreatening, intimidating, menacing, ominous, sinister
- urgencyurgent, urgently, emergency, ASAP, stat
- intensitieshigh, low, strong, weak, intense
- seriousness descriptorsserious, grave, solemn, somber, stern
diretrivial
Lacking significance or weight
minor · negligible · insignificant · unimportant · inconsequential
direhopeful
Feeling positive expectation
promising · bright · encouraging · auspicious · optimistic
- dire straitsSevere hardship or peril
- in dire straits
- dire wolvesExtinct large wolf species
- dire wolfExtinct large canine species
- voir direPretrial juror examination