dire in WordNet English dictionary

1. causing fear or dread or terror
   "the awful war"; "an awful risk"; "dire news"; "a career or vengeance so direful that London was shocked"; "the dread presence of the headmaster"; "polio is no longer the dreaded disease it once was"; "a dreadful storm"; "a fearful howling"; "horrendous explosions shook the city"; "a terrible curse"
   awful  dire  direful  dread  dreaded  dreadful  fearful  fearsome  frightening  horrendous  horrific  terrible 
   
2. fraught with extreme danger; nearly hopeless
   "a desperate illness"; "on all fronts the Allies were in a desperate situation due to lack of materiel"- G.C.Marshall; "a dire emergency"
   desperate  dire