Direful — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective /ˈdī(-ə)r-fəl/ dire·ful

Meaning & Definition of Direful

Direful (adjective)

  1. dreadful
  2. ominous

Direful (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. being or showing a sign of evil or calamity to come

    "the stock market crash was the first direful indication of the dark days to come"

    similar: baleful, dire, doomy, foreboding, ill, ill-boding, inauspicious, menacing, minatory, ominous, portentous, sinister, threatening
    related: black, bleak, cheerless, chill, Cimmerian, cloudy, cold, comfortless, dark, darkening, depressing, depressive, desolate, dim, disconsolate, dismal, drear, dreary, dreich (chiefly Scottish), elegiac, forlorn, funereal, gloomy, glum, godforsaken, gray, lonely, lonesome, lugubrious, miserable, morbid, morose, murky, plutonian, saturnine, sepulchral, somber, sullen, sunless, tenebrific, tenebrous, wretched, discouraging, disheartening, hopeless, unfavorable, unpromising, unpropitious, ill-fated, ill-starred, star-crossed, troubled, unfortunate, unlucky, evil, malign, malignant
    opposite: unthreatening
    near: auspicious, benign, bright, encouraging, favorable, golden, heartening, hopeful, promising, propitious, prosperous

  2. causing fear

    "heard the direful howling of the wolves during the night"

    similar: alarming, dire, dread, dreadful, fearful, fearsome, forbidding, formidable, frightening, frightful, ghastly, hair-raising, horrendous, horrible, horrifying, intimidating, redoubtable, scary, shocking, spine-chilling, terrible, terrifying
    related: daunting, demoralizing, disconcerting, discouraging, dismaying, disquieting, distressing, disturbing, perturbing, startling, threatening, troubling, trying, unnerving, bone-chilling, creepy, eerie, weird, appalling, atrocious, awful, grisly, gruesome, hideous, horrid, macabre, monstrous, nightmarish
    near: calming, comforting, consoling, inviting, lulling, pacifying, quieting, reassuring, relaxing, soothing, tranquilizing, nonintimidating, nonthreatening

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Direful

The most common words with a similar meaning to Direful:

baleful, dire, doomy, foreboding, ill, ill-boding, inauspicious, menacing, minatory, ominous, portentous, sinister, threatening, alarming, dread, dreadful, fearful, fearsome, forbidding, formidable, frightening, frightful, ghastly, hair-raising, horrendous, horrible, horrifying, intimidating, redoubtable, scary, shocking, spine-chilling, terrible, terrifying

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Direful

Words with the opposite meaning of Direful:

unthreatening

Related Words for Direful

black, bleak, cheerless, chill, Cimmerian, cloudy, cold, comfortless, dark, darkening, depressing, depressive, desolate, dim, disconsolate, dismal, drear, dreary, dreich, elegiac, forlorn, funereal, gloomy, glum, godforsaken, gray, lonely, lonesome, lugubrious, miserable

Near Antonyms of Direful

auspicious, benign, bright, encouraging, favorable, golden, heartening, hopeful, promising, propitious, prosperous, calming, comforting, consoling, inviting, lulling, pacifying, quieting, reassuring, relaxing, soothing, tranquilizing, nonintimidating, nonthreatening

Word Forms of Direful

Derived words: direfully (adverb)

Origin & Etymology of Direful

First known use: 1565

Frequently Asked Questions about Direful

What does "Direful" mean?

"Direful" means dreadful. As an adjective, it is defined as: dreadful. It has 2 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Direful"?

Other words for "Direful" include baleful, dire, doomy, foreboding, ill, ill-boding, inauspicious and menacing. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Direful" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Direful"?

There are 117 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Direful". Common alternatives include baleful, dire, doomy, foreboding, ill, ill-boding, inauspicious, menacing, minatory and ominous.

What is the opposite of "Direful"?

Antonyms of "Direful" include unthreatening. Near antonyms include auspicious, benign, bright and encouraging.

How do you use "Direful" in a sentence?

Examples of "Direful" in a sentence: "the stock market crash was the first direful indication of the dark days to come"; "heard the direful howling of the wolves during the night".

Is "Direful" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Direful" is an adjective.

How do you pronounce "Direful"?

"Direful" is pronounced /ˈdī(-ə)r-fəl/ and divided into syllables as dire·ful.

What is the origin of the word "Direful"?

First known use: 1565.