perfect storm

noun

: a critical or disastrous situation created by a powerful concurrence of factors

Examples of perfect storm in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Thanks to a perfect storm of economic luck, such as affordable home prices and steady wages, boomers have accumulated a collective net worth of $82 trillion— more than double that of Gen X ($42 trillion) and four times that of millennials ($16 trillion), according to data from Investopedia. —Jessica Coacci, Fortune, 3 Sep. 2025

The sharp surge in electricity prices was caused by a perfect storm of factors that are placing a strain on energy supplies. —Simmone Shah, Time, 3 Sep. 2025

And in a world where time is money, conditions are ripe for a perfect storm of greed, deceit, and willful gullibility—all in the hope of getting ahead faster than the rest. —Luis E. Romero, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025

Jessica Ramírez, retail analyst and co-founder of The Consumer Collective, said consumer uncertainty often sees shoppers being cautious with their dollars, which could be a perfect storm for off-price retailers. —Meghan Hall, Sourcing Journal, 27 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1998, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for perfect storm

• chloroform
• coliform
• cribriform
• cruciform
• filiform
• fusiform
• isoform
• microform
• multiform
• multiforme
• outperform
• piriform