catastrophic

adjective

Definition of catastrophicnext
as in disastrous
bringing about ruin or misfortune a catastrophic tornado destroyed the hamlet's only house of worship

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for catastrophic
  1. disastrous
  2. fatal
  3. unfortunate
Adjective
  • Meanwhile, Biden’s refusal to exit the 2024 presidential race after a disastrous initial debate performance in June kicked off a whirlwind season that gave rise to Harris.
    Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 7 Nov. 2024
  • That unease burst into the open after Biden’s disastrous June debate performance against Trump.
    Julia Prodis Sulek, The Mercury News, 6 Nov. 2024
Definition of disastrous
Adjective
  • The Colorado Springs Police Department followed closely behind Denver each year with five shootings, three fatal and two nonfatal, in 2023 and four shootings, three fatal and one nonfatal, in 2024, according to Denver Post records.
    Lauren Penington, The Denver Post, 11 Nov. 2024
  • The fatal capsizing is in the same area as Saturday’s capsizing, when a 21-foot boat with six people on board tipped over and sank.
    Bay City News Service, The Mercury News, 6 Nov. 2024
Definition of fatal
Adjective
  • In recent years, however, Sedona’s storyline has taken an unfortunate (though not unwarranted) hit.
    Erin Strout, Outside Online, 11 Nov. 2024
  • Martin's fall came after the band had to take to social media to address an unfortunate first for the band, informing fans that bassist Guy Berryman was too ill to join them onstage for the Melbourne gig.
    David Faris, Newsweek, 3 Nov. 2024
Definition of unfortunate
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.

Thesaurus Entries Near catastrophic

catastrophes

catastrophic

catatonic

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Catastrophic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/catastrophic. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

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More from Merriam-Webster on catastrophic

Nglish: Translation of catastrophic for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of catastrophic for Arabic Speakers

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