dire

This event becomes a pivot point for the plot, which turns increasingly dire—and increasingly hard to take seriously—in its final act.

Defense attorneys laid out the dire circumstances in a Tuesday memo to the U.S.

When things get really dire for these characters, you’ll hear those moans — and maybe a couple of bleak chuckles, too.

But no one knew the situation was that dire.

The dire situation has persisted, and on Friday the French foreign ministry advised its citizens to urgently leave the country while commercial flights were available.