catastrophe

noun

kə-ˈta-strə-(ˌ)fē How to pronounce catastrophe (audio)
Definition of catastrophenext
1
as in disaster
a sudden violent event that brings about great loss or destruction more than one natural catastrophe has threatened to destroy their farm over the years

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in failure
something that has failed the movie was a catastrophe, nearly bankrupting the studio that produced it

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for catastrophe
  1. disaster
  2. failure
  3. apocalypse
  4. tragedy
  5. calamity
Noun
  • Related article What is ‘Kessler Syndrome’ — and why do some scientists think the space disaster scenario has already started?
    Jackie Wattles, CNN, 17 Jan. 2025
  • Another would allow for disaster housing to transition into affordable housing.
    Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2025
Definition of disaster
Noun
  • Technological failures and fires swallow family photos.
    Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 13 Jan. 2025
  • Not typically covered is the cost of scheduled maintenance, wear-and-tear items like brake pads and windshield wiper blades, and failure caused by abuse or improper maintenance.
    Jim Gorzelany, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025
Definition of failure
Noun
  • When faced with the climate apocalypse, Rich veers cliché and sentimental.
    Sara Holdren, Vulture, 22 Dec. 2024
  • The short stories look at a secret romance between a junior and his femme roommate at a Quaker boarding school, a hormonal apocalypse brought on by a vengeful ex-girlfriend, and a young person’s dark night of the soul while partying in Las Vegas.
    Shannon Carlin, TIME, 17 Dec. 2024
Definition of apocalypse
Noun
  • That family tragedy at what seemed to be the end of his political career was a bookend to the one at its beginning, when his first wife and baby daughter, Naomi, were killed in a car crash.
    Susan Page, USA TODAY, 8 Jan. 2025
  • The tragedy is still under investigation in Argentina, where five people have been charged in connection with Payne's death, according to multiple outlets including the BBC.
    Tommy Tuberville, Newsweek, 8 Jan. 2025
Definition of tragedy
Noun
  • The two experts spoke to The Times in 2017 when wildfires ravaged Northern California and again this week amid the unfolding calamity.
    Thomas Curwen, Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2025
  • The seemingly increasing number of both natural and manmade calamities happening around the world means that companies in a position to provide support and relief, like ours and others across different industries, will likely be called upon to do so more often.
    David Wajsgras, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025
Definition of calamity
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.

Podcast

Thesaurus Entries Near catastrophe

cat (around)

catastrophe

catastrophes

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Catastrophe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/catastrophe. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on catastrophe

Nglish: Translation of catastrophe for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of catastrophe for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about catastrophe

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Using Bullet Points ( • )

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

Top 12 Sophisticated Compliments

Word of the Year 2024 | Polarization

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
white rubber duck stands out in a row of yellow ducks
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.