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Dire vs Abject - What's the difference?

dire | abject |

As verbs the difference between dire and abject

is that dire is while abject is (obsolete) to cast off or out; to reject .

As an adjective abject is

(obsolete) rejected; cast aside
.

As a noun abject is

a person in the lowest and most despicable condition; a castaway; outcast .

dire

English

Adjective

(en-adj)
  • Warning of bad consequences: ill-boding; portentous.
  • Requiring action to prevent bad consequences: urgent, pressing.
  • *{{quote-magazine, date=2014-06-14, volume=411, issue=8891, magazine=(The Economist)
  • , title= It's a gas , passage=One of the hidden glories of Victorian engineering is proper drains.
  • Expressing bad consequences: dreadful; dismal; horrible; terrible; lamentable.
  • (label) Bad in quality, awful, terrible.
  • * {{quote-news, year=2011, date=December 10, author=Arindam Rej, work=BBC Sport
  • , title= Norwich 4-2 Newcastle , passage=A second Norwich goal in four minutes arrived after some dire Newcastle defending. Gosling gave the ball away with a sloppy back-pass, allowing Crofts to curl in a cross that the unmarked Morison powered in with a firm, 12-yard header.}}

    Derived terms

    * direful * direly * direness * dire sisters * dire straits * dire wolf

    See also

    * voir dire

    Anagrams

    * * * ----

    abject

    English

    Etymology 1

    * From (etyl) .

    Adjective

    (en-adj)
  • (obsolete) Rejected; cast aside.
  • Sunk to or existing in a low condition, state, or position.
  • *
  • Cast down in spirit or hope; degraded; servile; grovelling; despicable; lacking courage; offered in a humble and often ingratiating spirit.
  • *
  • *
  • *
  • *
  • Showing utter hopelessness; helplessness; showing resignation; wretched.
  • *
  • Usage notes
    * Nouns to which "abject" is often applied: poverty, fear, terror, submission, misery, failure, state, condition, apology, humility, servitude, manner, coward.
    Synonyms
    * beggarly, contemptible, cringing, degraded, groveling, ignoble, mean, mean-spirited, slavish, vile, worthless

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A person in the lowest and most despicable condition; a castaway; outcast.
  • *
  • *
  • Etymology 2

    From (etyl) abjecten, derived from the adjective form.

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (obsolete) To cast off or out; to reject.
  • *
  • (obsolete) To cast down; hence, to abase; to degrade; to lower; to debase.
  • (John Donne)

    References

    English heteronyms ----