Afflicting
Afflicting adjective - Hard to accept or bear especially emotionally.
Usage example: the afflicting sight of so many earthquake victims was too much even for some hardened rescue workers
Dire and afflicting are semantically related. In some cases you can use "Dire" instead an adjective "Afflicting".
Dire
Dire adjective - Being or showing a sign of evil or calamity to come.
Afflicting and dire are semantically related. Sometimes you can use "Afflicting" instead an adjective "Dire".
Mutual synonyms
Cite this Source
Dire and Afflicting. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 01, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/afflicting/dire
Afflicting & Dire. N.p., 2016. Web. 01 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/afflicting/dire>.
Dire or Afflicting. 2016. Accessed August 01, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/afflicting/dire.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "afflicting" and "dire" have occurred on timeline