direful

direful
    adj 1: causing fear or dread or terror; "the awful war"; "an
           awful risk"; "dire news"; "a career or vengeance so
           direful that London was shocked"; "the dread presence of
           the headmaster"; "polio is no longer the dreaded disease
           it once was"; "a dreadful storm"; "a fearful howling";
           "horrendous explosions shook the city"; "a terrible
           curse" [syn: {awful}, {dire}, {direful}, {dread(a)},
           {dreaded}, {dreadful}, {fearful}, {fearsome},
           {frightening}, {horrendous}, {horrific}, {terrible}]
    

Direful \Dire"ful\, a. [Dire + -ful.]
   Dire; dreadful; terrible; calamitous; woeful; as, a direful
   fiend; a direful day. -- {Dire"ful*ly}, adv. --
   {Dire"ful*ness}, n.
   [1913 Webster]