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 of disastrous

• fatal
• unfortunate
• catastrophic

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

Quarterback Geno Smith is back at the helm after a disastrous 2025 with the Raiders, and a roster and coaching staff coming off a 3-14 season is largely intact. — John Riker, New York Times, 20 July 2026

Hopefully that comes with less disastrous results than Bear’s wish. — Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 17 July 2026

If a presidential administration were to decide that research in a specific area was no longer important for political reasons, that could have disastrous consequences for our nation. — Felix V. Matos Rodriguez, New York Daily News, 17 July 2026

Labour’s disastrous local election results in May were seen as an indication of what could happen if Starmer – who is widely unpopular despite winning a landslide election victory two years ago – led the party into the next national vote. — Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 17 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1594, in the meaning defined at sense 1