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

Shaw had argued that Ancora’s plan would cut the railroad too deep and jeopardize the improvements in safety and service Norfolk Southern has seen since its disastrous February 2023 derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. —Josh Funk, Fortune, 9 May 2024

Her decision to remain Queen until the last possible moment, frail but still shaking hands with the disastrous Prime Minister Liz Truss, was personally commendable but has left Charles III with the impossible task of inheriting a legacy too large for anyone to bear. —Alexander Larman, TIME, 5 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1594, in the meaning defined at sense 1