dire

1. ADJ Dire is used to emphasize how serious or terrible a situation or event is. 嚴重的; 可怕的[強調]

The government looked as if it would split apart, with dire consequences for domestic peace. 政府看似就要分崩離析，給國內和平帶來可怕的後果。

2. ADJ If you describe something as dire, you are emphasizing that it is of very low quality. 質量低劣的[非正式]

...a book of children's verse, which ranged from the barely tolerable to the utterly dire. ...一本兒童詩集，所選詩篇有的勉強可讀，有的糟糕透頂。