adj.
a desperate illness
on all fronts the Allies were in a desperate situation due to lack of materiel"- G.C.Marshall; "a dire emergency
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