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

The Arizona State Sun Devils just completed an improbable run to the College Football Playoff only two years removed from the disastrous Herm Edwards era. — Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2026

Poor, maligned, disastrous, feels-like-being-trapped-inside-a-tuba Digger. — Joe Reid, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2026

Indeed, State Farm asked Fox to let it out of a deal for commercials in Super Bowl LIX, citing obstacles created for its business by disastrous California wildfires. — Brian Steinberg, Variety, 5 Oct. 2026

The team on the field has improved from a disastrous 2025 but is still below the level Mack Brown’s teams reached during both of his runs as UNC coach. — David Ubben, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1594, in the meaning defined at sense 1