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

Harry Kane Kane was England’s clutch player at the World Cup, scoring a late double to avoid a disastrous early exit against DR Congo and netting what turned out to be the decisive goal from the penalty spot in England’s epic 3-2 win over Mexico. — Cerys Jones, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2026

But what could have been a disastrous memory turned a corner when the duo decided to have a quiet, intimate ceremony with friends before their big show. — Erin Strecker, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Aug. 2026

That area also roughly would coincide with the stock’s post-earnings close from May 28, after a disastrous revenue miss. — Schaeffer's Investment Research, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026

Then, beginning in 2005, she was cast on The Office as Jan Levinson, a VP at Dunder Mifflin who gets involved with Steve Carell‘s Michael Scott, with disastrous results. — Victoria Edel, PEOPLE, 19 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1594, in the meaning defined at sense 1