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

County employees and others familiar with the property tax situation in Jackson County previously warned that the class-action lawsuit could be disastrous for county finances without a settlement. — Dylan Lysen, Kansas City Star, 30 Sep. 2026

Instead, they were overshadowed by Sonos’s disastrous app redesign. — John Higgins, The Verge, 30 Sep. 2026

The Fighting Irish went into Chapel Hill 4-1 and Weis looked to be on the rebound from a disastrous three-win 2007. — ABC News, 30 Sep. 2026

Nike’s experimented with other applications such as mules and tennis shoes, but the results were mocked if not downright disastrous. — Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 29 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1594, in the meaning defined at sense 1