What Does Dire Mean?

Dire means being extreme or having dreadful consequences. Here are some examples of the word used in a couple of sentences:
Jack, the actor lived in dire poverty during the initial stages of his career.
The celebrity was issued a dire threat to his life by the underworld goon.
Words like dreadful, awful, frightening, horrific and horrendous are some of the synonyms of the adjective "dire."

The word comes from the Latin word dīrus, which means "causing fear."  The word "dire" can also mean urgent or desperate, for example: He was in dire need for money. Words like exigent, immediate, urgent, pressing, imperative are the other synonyms of the word "dire."  An act of forecasting a future disaster is also said to be "dire." For example: The people of the banished state received a dire warning about cyclones in their area.