Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

direful

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.14 in modern English

Syllables: dire-ful
IPA

11

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

2

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Fearful, terrible.

Example Sentences

"I haue beene wooed, as I intreat thee now, / Euen by the ſterne, and direfull God of warre, / VVhoſe ſinowie necke in battel nere did bow, / VVho conquers where he comes in euery iarre; […]"
"read what destiny / Or other dyrefull hap from heaven or hell / Hath wrought this wicked deed […]."
""As whence the sun gins his reflection, shipwrecking storms and direful thunders break.""

Etymology

From dire + -ful.

Word Breakdown

Suffix: dire

Inflected Forms

more direful (comparative) most direful (superlative)

Derived Forms

direfully direfulness

Synonyms

dire terrible awful dread dreaded dreadful fearful fearsome frightening horrendous horrific

Questions

What does direful mean?: Fearful, terrible.
Where does direful come from?: From dire + -ful.

How to pronounce direful

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “direful”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
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Repeat and practice — Say “direful” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.