direful

adjective

ˈdī(-ə)r-fəl How to pronounce direful (audio)
Definition of direfulnext
1
as in ominous
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in terrifying
causing fear heard the direful howling of the wolves during the night

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for direful
  1. ominous
  2. terrifying
  3. sinister
  4. formidable
  5. menacing
  6. horrible
  7. terrible
  8. frightening
Adjective
  • The film fairly vibrates with ominous tension even in scenes in which seemingly nothing happens.
    — Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The horror movie takes place in Vision’s mind-mansion, which Butcherbird has filled with red light, dark shadows, and ominous imagery.
    — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of ominous
Adjective
  • Malerman’s truly terrifying horror novel, 2024’s Incidents Around the House, upon which Other Mommy is based, tells the tale of struggling married couple Ursula and Ross and their young daughter, Bela.
    — Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Scottie’s punishing, smothering treatment of Judy, who bears much more than a passing resemblance to Madeleine, borders on truly terrifying to many women watching the film.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of terrifying
Adjective
  • Feathers McGraw, the sinister penguin villain from the Wallace & Gromit films, also makes a Hitchcockian cameo.
    — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Other examples are more sinister—for instance, the far-right takeover of Croatian Wikipedia, or efforts by corporations to launder their images.
    — Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of sinister
Adjective
  • Wildwood is a dark tale, with whispers of a witch, set against the beautiful yet formidable backdrop of rural New England.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2026
  • American power was formidable but trust in America was priceless.
    — Fareed Zakaria, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of formidable
Adjective
  • The police spokesperson said Perez was taken into custody without incident and charged with menacing and criminal possession of a weapon.
    — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026
  • The Melbourne duo taps into trip-hop’s essential strangeness on its latest album, trading the genre’s boilerplate languor for dejected moods, menacing auras, and slippery, all-consuming bass.
    — Sam Goldner, Pitchfork, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of menacing
Adjective
  • In most versions of the Greek mythology, Medusa is a beautiful woman that was cursed by the goddess Athena with a head of snakes instead of hair and the horrible ability to turn people to stone with just one look.
    — Lynsey Eidell, Glamour, 26 Oct. 2026
  • The battle is between that horrible atmosphere and some of the horrific candidates that have been nominated by the Democratic Party.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of horrible
Adjective
  • His teams are terrible just before halftime, having been outscored 107-6 in the coach's 24 games.
    — Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 26 Oct. 2026
  • If the purpose of buying a suit were merely obtaining clothing, three fittings would be terrible service.
    — Anna van Praagh, Robb Report, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of terrible
Adjective
  • As the frightening phantom of Frank the Bunny warns, this parallel reality has a ticking clock that’ll result in its imminent collapse in just 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes, and 12 seconds.
    — Jeff Spry, Space.com, 26 Oct. 2026
  • For neighbors, the crash brought a frightening interruption to an otherwise routine afternoon.
    — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of frightening
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

direct taxes
direful
dirge
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Cite this Entry

“Direful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/direful. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

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