dire

Definition

Warning of bad consequences: ill-boding; portentous.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin dīrus (“fearful, ominous”).

Example Sentences

• "dire omens"
• "dire need (of)"
• "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."