Direful: meaning, definitions and examples
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direful
[ ˈdaɪəfəl ]
descriptive, negative
Direful describes something causing great fear or horror. It implies that the subject is terrible or dreadful, often leading to dire consequences.
Synonyms
awful, dreadful, horrific, terrible
Examples of usage
- The direful consequences of the storm left the community devastated.
- He spoke of the direful events that preceded the war.
- The horror movie was filled with direful scenes that terrified the audience.
Translations
Translations of the word "direful" in other languages:
🇵🇹 horrível
🇮🇳 भयानक
🇩🇪 schrecklich
🇮🇩 menakutkan
🇺🇦 страшний
🇵🇱 przerażający
🇯🇵 恐ろしい
🇫🇷 terrifiant
🇪🇸 horrible
🇹🇷 korkunç
🇰🇷 무서운
🇸🇦 مروع
🇨🇿 hrozivý
🇸🇰 hrôzostrašný
🇨🇳 可怕的
🇸🇮 strašen
🇮🇸 hræðilegur
🇰🇿 қорқынышты
🇬🇪 შეშლილი
🇦🇿 dehşətli
🇲🇽 horrible
Etymology
The word 'direful' has its roots in the Middle English word 'dire' from the Anglo-Norman 'dire', which means 'to tell' or 'to speak' and was derived from the Latin word 'dicere'. The suffix '-ful' means 'full of', collectively implying a profound emphasis on the depth of horror or dread. Over time, 'direful' evolved in usage to primarily denote something extremely bad or alarming, often in a context that evokes fear or foreboding. The term is less commonly used in contemporary English but maintains a strong connection to literature and poems that describe ominous or foreboding events. Its archaic usage reflects a time when language was more expressive of emotion and moral judgment.