Awful
Awful adjective - Extremely disturbing or repellent.
Usage example: spare me the awful details of the murder
Dire is a synonym for awful in terrible topic. In some cases you can use "Dire" instead an adjective "Awful", when it comes to topics like property, bad, horrendous, ghastly. informal substitute
Nearby Word: awfully
Dire
Dire adjective - Causing fear.
Usage example: a series of dire tremors that hinted at a huge volcanic eruption
Mutual synonyms
Both words in one sentence
- The foulness of the planet that spawned the Dire Wraiths was so awful that even Galactus' feared appetite couldn't stomach it.
Source: Assimilation Backfire
Cite this Source
Dire and Awful. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/awful/dire
Awful & Dire. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/awful/dire>.
Dire or Awful. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/awful/dire.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "awful" and "dire" have occurred on timeline