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

That quickly became disastrous for both sides as officials had a very public spat with one another using harsh rhetoric in front of a slew of journalists invited to cover what was initially intended to be brief opening remarks. —Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN Money, 9 May 2025

The second leg against AZ after a disastrous 1-0 defeat in Holland. —Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 9 May 2025

What voters want is not March 9, 2025 Iowa has probably lost forevermore its privileged place on the political calendar after the disastrous 2020 caucuses, which took days to yield a winner. —Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2025

Any longer could be disastrous from a public opinion perspective. —Pamela N. Danziger, Forbes.com, 6 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1594, in the meaning defined at sense 1