1ADJ-GRADED [usually ADJ n]严峻的;严重的;可怕的Dire is used to emphasize how serious or terrible a situation or event is. 严峻的;严重的;可怕的 [emphasis]
A government split would have dire consequences for domestic peace.
政府的分裂将会给国内和平带来严重后果。
He was in dire need of hospital treatment.
他急需入院治疗。
...dire poverty.
赤贫
2ADJ-GRADED [usually verb-link ADJ]极其糟糕的;质量低劣的 If you describe something as dire, you are emphasizing that it is of very low quality. 极其糟糕的;质量低劣的 [informal, emphasis]
...a book of children's verse, which ranged from the barely tolerable to the utterly dire.