disastrous

adjective

di·​sas·​trous di-ˈza-strəs 

 also  -ˈsa-

1

: attended by or causing suffering or disaster : calamitous

a disastrous flood

2

: terrible, horrendous

a disastrous score

disastrously adverb

Synonyms

• calamitous
• cataclysmal
• cataclysmic
• catastrophic
• damning
• destructive
• fatal
• fateful
• ruinous
• unfortunate

Examples of disastrous in a Sentence

Half the city was destroyed by a disastrous fire.

The bad weather could have a disastrous effect on the area's tourism industry.

His failure to back up the computer files had disastrous consequences.

The strike was economically disastrous.

Recent Examples on the Web

Kraven, even if audiences didn’t mind it, earned $61 million worldwide, a figure beyond disastrous and what led in part to the shutdown of this Sinister Six-ish collection of films that also included Morbius, with others planned in the future. —Paul Tassi, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2025

Three campaigns stand out — one weirdly funny, one weirdly disastrous and one weirdly endearing. —Steven Hyden, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2025

Victor Kristiansen, January 2023 Similar to Faes, Kristiansen only knows a relegation dogfight in the Premier League after joining midway through the disastrous 2022-23 season. —Rob Tanner, The Athletic, 26 Feb. 2025

Except that when Americans swipe left on current events, the consequences are a lot more disastrous. —Matt Robison, Newsweek, 25 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1594, in the meaning defined at sense 1