Pronunciation: [dˈa͡ɪ͡ə] (IPA) 
Dire is spelled d-i-r-e, with the first vowel pronounced like the letter "i" in "sit" and the second vowel pronounced like the letter "e" in "bed." In IPA phonetic transcription, the pronunciation is /daɪər/. It is an adjective meaning extremely serious or urgent, often indicating a dangerous or negative situation. For example, one could say "the dire consequences of climate change" or "the company's dire financial situation."
The term "dire" is an adjective that is used to describe a situation or event that is extremely serious, urgent, or dreadful in its nature or consequences. It is often used to emphasize the severity or gravity of a situation, emphasizing the urgent need for action or change.
When something is described as "dire," it usually implies a sense of impending disaster, calamity, or great danger. It suggests that immediate intervention or resolution is necessary to prevent the situation from worsening or becoming irreversible.
The word "dire" can also be used to describe something that is extremely bad, terrible, or of very low quality. For instance, one might refer to a movie as having dire reviews if they were overwhelmingly negative. In this context, it implies a strong criticism or condemnation of the object in question.
In summary, "dire" is an adjective that denotes a situation or event which is extremely serious, dreadful, or urgent in its nature or consequences. It usually emphasizes imminent disaster, the need for immediate action, or the extreme negativity or low quality of something.
Dreadful; dismal; evil in a great degree; terrible; very calamitous.
Etymological and pronouncing dictionary of the English language. By Stormonth, James, Phelp, P. H. Published 1874.
* The statistics data for these misspellings percentages are collected from over 15,411,110 spell check sessions on www.spellchecker.net from Jan 2010 - Jun 2012.
The word "dire" comes from the Latin word "dirus", which means "fearful" or "dreadful". It was later adopted into Old French as "dire" with a similar meaning. From there, it entered Middle English and evolved into its current form.
