catastrophe

noun

kə-ˈta-strə-(ˌ)fē How to pronounce catastrophe (audio)
Definition of catastrophenext
1
as in disaster
a sudden violent event that brings about great loss or destruction more than one natural catastrophe has threatened to destroy their farm over the years

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in failure
something that has failed the movie was a catastrophe, nearly bankrupting the studio that produced it

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of catastrophe California suffered a near catastrophe on pension debt during the great recession. — Jon Coupal, Oc Register, 25 July 2026 Members are also holding weekly evening vigils at the parish to draw attention to this latest Eastside environmental catastrophe. — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 25 July 2026 Of course, this growing mass constitutes a serious threat to the ocean ecosystem, not to mention the environmental catastrophes regularly caused by tanker accidents themselves. — Alexander Klose, Scientific American, 24 July 2026 Writer, historian, and activist Rebecca Solnit is the author of more than twenty-five books on feminism, western and urban history, popular power, social change and insurrection, wandering and walking, hope and catastrophe. — Literary Hub, 23 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for catastrophe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for catastrophe
  1. disaster
  2. failure
  3. tragedy
  4. apocalypse
  5. calamity
Noun
  • Established by Congress in 1990, TPS gives temporary protection to people who don’t feel safe returning to countries plagued by disaster or armed conflict such as El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua.
    — Jessica Guynn, USA Today, 30 July 2026
  • That was, frankly, ridiculous, and our coverage said as much, arguing that this deep dive into one of Hollywood’s most notorious genre disasters deserved a much wider release.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 30 July 2026
Definition of disaster
Noun
  • The Illinois Department of Transportation announced that there would be an emergency road closure at the inbound Lawrence Avenue exit on the Kennedy (Interstate 90), citing the early morning concrete retention wall failure as the reason.
    — Allison Kiehl, Chicago Tribune, 2 Aug. 2026
  • These failures stemmed not from new vulnerabilities, but from basic security flaws like weak passwords and unauthenticated endpoints, and reliance on assumptions over robust controls.
    — Sandy Carter, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of failure
Noun
  • The film’s story is said to follow a young dancer at an elite ballet school who finally earns the lead in a prestigious recital, but her focus is shattered by a family tragedy.
    — Zac Ntim, Deadline, 30 July 2026
  • Our thoughts, prayers, and heartfelt condolences are with the families, friends, classmates, and everyone affected by this heartbreaking tragedy.
    — Christa Swanson, CBS News, 30 July 2026
Definition of tragedy
Noun
  • While his beloved character didn’t outlive the zombie apocalypse, his romance with Pak bloomed.
    — Adrianne Reece, InStyle, 28 July 2026
  • The widow certainly has not had a lot to smile about in the zombie apocalypse, and definitely not to the man who brutally murdered her husband.
    — Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 27 July 2026
Definition of apocalypse
Noun
  • Yoon drew extensively on these themes in his earlier works—most recently in the novel Run Me to Earth and the Story Prize–winning collection The Hive and the Honey—and his oeuvre depicts war’s psychological and material calamities.
    — Rachel Vorona Cote, The Atlantic, 30 July 2026
  • But his avuncular encouragement of Tony in what could be absolute folly brings real heart to this section — until calamity intrudes.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 29 July 2026
Definition of calamity

Browse Nearby Words

cat (around)
catastrophe
catastrophes
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Catastrophe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/catastrophe. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on catastrophe

Nglish: Translation of catastrophe for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about catastrophe

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

How long is a jiffy?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All