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
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
Yet, by far, these groups suffer the most from the disastrous effects of climate change, exacerbated by insufficient and lagging global action.
—
Josephine Latu-Sanft, Scientific American, 29 Nov. 2023
His saving grace to a disastrous shooting season has been his ability to draw fouls at an incredible rate.
—Brian Sampson, Forbes, 28 Nov. 2023
That brings its stateside gross to a less-than-heroic $69.1 million, a disastrous result for Marvel.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 23 Nov. 2023
There is palatial luxury, political intrigue, a humiliating exile, a triumphant return, and the final disastrous battle, which proved to be Napoleon’s Waterloo.
—Kyle Smith, WSJ, 21 Nov. 2023
Rabin’s decision to go for Oslo without having meaningful support from the right proved disastrous.
—Emily Bazelon, New York Times, 20 Nov. 2023
That’s the inevitable question since last Tuesday’s disastrous elections in Ohio and Virginia have dashed hopes for meaningful protections of mothers and unborn children in each state.
—Tim Busch, National Review, 14 Nov. 2023
That was Hoke’s first lap holding the reins after the disastrous three-season run of Chuck Long.
—Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Nov. 2023
But a denial of service attack on any of a team’s engineering systems, one that disrupts their real-time communications, or theft of intellectual property could be disastrous for an F1 team.
—WIRED, 18 Nov. 2023
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Josephine Latu-Sanft, Scientific American, 29 Nov. 2023
His saving grace to a disastrous shooting season has been his ability to draw fouls at an incredible rate.
—Brian Sampson, Forbes, 28 Nov. 2023
That brings its stateside gross to a less-than-heroic $69.1 million, a disastrous result for Marvel.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 23 Nov. 2023
There is palatial luxury, political intrigue, a humiliating exile, a triumphant return, and the final disastrous battle, which proved to be Napoleon’s Waterloo.
—Kyle Smith, WSJ, 21 Nov. 2023
Rabin’s decision to go for Oslo without having meaningful support from the right proved disastrous.
—Emily Bazelon, New York Times, 20 Nov. 2023
That’s the inevitable question since last Tuesday’s disastrous elections in Ohio and Virginia have dashed hopes for meaningful protections of mothers and unborn children in each state.
—Tim Busch, National Review, 14 Nov. 2023
That was Hoke’s first lap holding the reins after the disastrous three-season run of Chuck Long.
—Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Nov. 2023
But a denial of service attack on any of a team’s engineering systems, one that disrupts their real-time communications, or theft of intellectual property could be disastrous for an F1 team.
—WIRED, 18 Nov. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'disastrous.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1594, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Articles Related to disastrous
Dictionary Entries Near disastrous
Cite this Entry
“Disastrous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disastrous. Accessed 10 Dec. 2023.
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More from Merriam-Webster on disastrous
Nglish: Translation of disastrous for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of disastrous for Arabic Speakers
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