Synonyms of catastrophe

catastrophe

noun

kə-ˈta-strə-(ˌ)fē 

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

• disaster
• tragedy
• apocalypse
• calamity
• collapse
• accident
• crash
• debacle
• cataclysm
• fatality
• casualty
• upheaval
• meltdown
• Armageddon
• misfortune
• doomsday
• convulsion
• bloodbath
• blow
• mishap
• paroxysm
• misadventure
• end-time
• mischance
• double whammy
• blast
• one-two

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• windfall
• manna
• godsend

2

as in failure

something that has failed

the movie was a catastrophe, nearly bankrupting the studio that produced it

Synonyms & Similar Words

• disaster
• failure
• disappointment
• fiasco
• loser
• bust
• bomb
• shipwreck
• debacle
• washout
• flop
• mess
• miss
• frost
• lemon
• dud
• fizzle
• turkey
• clunker
• bummer
• clinker
• has-been
• dog
• shambles
• botch
• also-ran
• hash
• near miss
• nonevent
• muddle
• nonstarter

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• success
• hit
• winner
• blockbuster
• phenomenon
• smash
• corker
• crackerjack
• dandy
• jim-dandy

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of catastrophe

When the catastrophe wiped out their massive non-avian relatives, the bird lineages that survived were positioned to take advantage of newly vacant ecological niches. — Kevin Brown, Forbes.com, 24 Sep. 2026

With global economic catastrophe averted, attention would shift elsewhere. — Richard Haass, Foreign Affairs, 23 Sep. 2026

Ces idées m’ont beaucoup aidée lorsque j’ai réfléchi à la notion de catastrophe écologique à la suite des incendies de forêt. — The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 21 Sep. 2026

Sometimes a president doesn’t have to ask for the country’s attention, because catastrophe has already gathered it. — John Dickerson, The Atlantic, 20 Sep. 2026

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