dire
Example Sentences
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The refiners still in operation are racing to supply a market in dire need of diesel, which powers all manner of heavy-duty vehicles and machinery, while also scrambling to procure enough crude shipments to process.
From MarketWatch β Sep. 22, 2026
Given the dire state of the justice system in Haiti, the onus has been on US prosecutors to bring the detainees to Florida to try the cases there.
From BBC β Sep. 21, 2026
AI researchers have issued dire warnings for years.
From The Wall Street Journal β Sep. 17, 2026
The federal district court issued a preliminary injunction partly on this basis, noting the burdens on election administrators were high and the public interest costs dire.
From Slate β Sep. 15, 2026
Considering that I have exactly thirteen dollars to my name right now, I’m at the most dire point I’ve ever been.
From "Warcross" by Marie Lu
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Rademacher said the showers will continue into at least Monday, with the midweek looking a bit direr.
From Seattle Times β Mar. 2, 2024
The TV series balances humor and tragedy like the film did; however, it’s clear in the episodes that things are direr now.
From Los Angeles Times β Jun. 14, 2023
With Christmas now just months away, supermarkets are warning that the situation could become direr.
From Washington Post β Sep. 1, 2021
Experts have previously expressed alarm about the delta variant, although the CDC document paints a much direr picture compared to previous speculation.
From Salon β Jul. 30, 2021
Have ye forgot What deed I did among you, and what new And direr deed I fled from you to do?
From Oedipus King of Thebes Translated into English Rhyming Verse with Explanatory Notes by Gilbert Murray
Chris Young grew up in Clarksville, Tenn., in the direst imaginable circumstances — unimaginable, in fact, to many of us.
From Los Angeles Times β Aug. 3, 2026
A recent drought saw the three direst years on record, which dropped reservoirs around the state to dangerously low levels and prompted mandatory rationing and even caused some hydroelectric power plants to shut down.
From Seattle Times β May 16, 2024
By contrast, Biden spoke of his “obsessive optimism” on Wednesday, cutting the figure of a man who has previously been considered politically endangered only to defy at least the direst predictions.
From Washington Post β Nov. 9, 2022
Wales received 56.7% of its expected rainfall between March and August, the third direst six-month period since records began in 1865.
From BBC β Sep. 8, 2022
I would be in the direst of dire straits, facing a bleak future, when some small thing, some detail, would transform itself and appear in my mind in a new light.
From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel
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Vocabulary lists containing dire
The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 2
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"Macbeth" Vocabulary from Act I
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The New SAT: Words to Capture Tone
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com β we'll help you make the most of your study time!