dire meaning

dire means 'very serious or urgent'.

dire :

very serious, urgent

adjective

▪ The situation is dire.

▪ The situation is very serious.

▪ They are in dire need of help.

▪ They urgently need help.

paraphrasing

▪ critical – very important

▪ urgent – needing quick action

▪ grave – very serious

▪ desperate – needing immediate help

dire

Pronunciation

dire [daɪər]

The stress is on 'dire' and sounds like 'dye-er'.

Common phrases and grammar about dire

dire - Common meaning

adjective
very serious, urgent

Part of Speech Changes for "dire"

▪ direly (adverb) – in a serious or urgent manner

▪ direness (noun) – the state of being dire

Common Expressions with "dire"

▪ dire consequences – very serious results

▪ dire warning – urgent caution

▪ dire straits – very difficult situation

▪ dire need – urgent requirement

Important examples of dire in TOEIC

Vocabulary examples from the TOEIC test

In TOEIC vocabulary questions, dire is often used to describe urgent or serious situations.

▪The company is in dire financial trouble.
▪The company is in very serious financial trouble.

Example of a confusing word: dire (as a verb form, which does not exist)

▪The company is dire their financial trouble.
▪The company is facing very serious financial trouble.
"Dire" is an adjective used to describe situations that are extremely serious or urgent. In the sentence "The company is in dire financial trouble," it correctly modifies the noun "trouble" to emphasize its severity. There is no verb form of "dire," so attempting to use it as a verb, as in "The company is dire their financial trouble," is grammatically incorrect. Therefore, "dire" is the correct choice when describing the severity of a situation.

Grammar examples from the TOEIC test

As an adjective, dire often appears in grammar questions to modify nouns that describe situations or needs.

▪They are facing dire circumstances.
▪They are facing very serious circumstances.

dire

Idioms and fixed expressions in TOEIC

dire warning

'urgent caution', used to alert someone about a serious situation.

▪He gave a dire warning about the storm.
▪He gave an urgent caution about the storm.

dire straits

means 'a very difficult situation', often used to describe financial trouble.

▪The family is in dire straits after the job loss.
▪The family is in a very difficult situation after the job loss.

Differences between similar words and dire

dire

,

critical

differences

Dire means very serious and urgent, while critical often implies importance but not always urgency.

dire
▪The patient is in dire condition.
▪The patient is in a very serious condition.
critical
▪The report is critical to the project.
▪The report is very important to the project.

dire

,

urgent

differences

Dire implies a very serious situation, while urgent means needing immediate attention.

dire
▪They are in dire need of resources.
▪The task needs immediate attention.
urgent
▪The task is urgent and must be done now.
▪The task needs immediate attention.

Words with the same origin as dire

The origin of dire

The word's etymology is not clear.

Word structure

The analysis of the word's composition is unclear.

Words with the same origin

The word's root is unclear or difficult to confirm.

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