catastrophe
noun
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Definition of catastrophe
1 : a momentous tragic event ranging from extreme misfortune to utter overthrow or ruin Deforestation and erosion can lead to an ecological catastrophe.
2 : utter failure : fiasco the party was a catastrophe
3a : a violent and sudden change in a feature of the earth
b : a violent usually destructive natural event (such as a supernova)
4 : the final event of the dramatic action especially of a tragedy
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Other words from catastrophe
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adjective
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adverb
Synonyms & Antonyms for catastrophe
Synonyms
bomb, bummer, bust, clinker, clunker, debacle (also débâcle), disaster, dud, failure, fiasco, fizzle, flop, frost, lemon, loser, miss, turkey, washout
Antonyms
blockbuster, hit, smash, success, winner
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Examples of catastrophe in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
One exercise will simulate a mass-casualty catastrophe at hospitals. — Frances Robles, New York Times, "FEMA Was Sorely Unprepared for Puerto Rico Hurricane, Report Says," 12 July 2018 One particularly noteworthy theory was the impact of war, natural disasters and large-scale catastrophes. — Yonat Shimron, Houston Chronicle, "Younger adults are less religious, and not only in the U.S.," 16 June 2018 Today, some former test sites are facing health hazards and environmental catastrophe. — Lovely Umayam, The New Republic, "The Nuclear Industry’s Winners and Losers," 31 May 2018 There are these catastrophes that sometimes lead people to personality change, and there’re negative ones, too. — Hope Reese, Longreads, "‘I Was a Storm of Confetti’: Michael Pollan On Why It’s a Good Idea To Lose Your Self," 30 May 2018 For the year, global insured catastrophe losses were about 160% higher than the average of $51 billion for such losses from 2000 to 2016, according to Wells Fargo Securities. — Leslie Scism, WSJ, "Even After Last Year’s Terrible Hurricanes, Insurers Are in Solid Shape," 30 June 2018 The catastrophe in Puerto Rico may therefore be a worrying harbinger of a future for other countries and regions facing the effects of climate change. — Jane Palmer, CNN, "How to survive climate change: A lesson from Hurricane Maria," 20 Mar. 2018 Even the catastrophe at the heart of The Division is realistic. — Mo Mozuch, Newsweek, "How to (Virtually) Survive in Post-Apocalypse Manhattan," 23 Feb. 2016 Trump himself has seemed to promote North Korea as a potential tourist destination, at least once the whole threat of nuclear catastrophe is erased. — Adam K. Raymond, Daily Intelligencer, "Sheldon Adelson Is Fantasizing About Building Casinos in North Korea," 11 July 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'catastrophe.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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Dictionary Entries near catastrophe
Statistics for catastrophe
Last Updated
16 Sep 2018
Look-up Popularity
Time Traveler for catastrophe
The first known use of catastrophe was in 1540
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More Definitions for catastrophe
catastrophe
noun
English Language Learners Definition of catastrophe
: a terrible disaster
See the full definition for catastrophe in the English Language Learners Dictionary
catastrophe
noun
\
Kids Definition of catastrophe
1 : a sudden disaster The oil spill was an environmental catastrophe.
2 : complete failure : fiasco The party was a catastrophe.
catastrophe
noun
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Medical Definition of catastrophe
: death (as from an inexplicable cause) before, during, or after an operation
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