Dread
Dread adjective - Causing fear.
Usage example: every ship on the Spanish Main was terrified of running into the dread pirate
Dire is a synonym for dread in terrible topic. In some cases you can use "Dire" instead an adjective "Dread", when it comes to topics like horrible, awful, frightening. popular alternative
Dire
Dire adjective - Causing fear.
Usage example: a series of dire tremors that hinted at a huge volcanic eruption
Mutual synonyms
Cite this Source
Dire and Dread. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/dread/dire
Dread & Dire. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/dread/dire>.
Dire or Dread. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/dread/dire.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "dread" and "dire" have occurred on timeline