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
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2
as in failure
something that has failed
the movie was a catastrophe, nearly bankrupting the studio that produced it
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of catastrophe
In the film, that includes a joyride around Chicago in the Ferrari and catastrophe when the car is returned.
—
Michael Martin, Architectural Digest, 11 June 2026
The war between Iran and Israel and the United States has been an economic catastrophe for Iranians.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 10 June 2026
The question for us now is what comes after the next catastrophe.
—Pablo Larios, Artforum, 10 June 2026
The company was formed in the aftermath of 9/11 to sell terrorism and catastrophe property insurance.
—Diane Brady, Fortune, 9 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for catastrophe
Michael Martin, Architectural Digest, 11 June 2026
The war between Iran and Israel and the United States has been an economic catastrophe for Iranians.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 10 June 2026
The question for us now is what comes after the next catastrophe.
—Pablo Larios, Artforum, 10 June 2026
The company was formed in the aftermath of 9/11 to sell terrorism and catastrophe property insurance.
—Diane Brady, Fortune, 9 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for catastrophe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for catastrophe
Noun
-
Aemond is a murderer, Aegon is a rapist; if either of them ends up on the Iron Throne for good, that would be a disaster.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
19 June 2026
-
On the dusty backroads of Radiator Springs, where Lightning McQueen and his pals live, a shower of meteors threatened to bring destruction upon the quarter-size cars in a scene that disaster movie king Roland Emmerich would endorse.—
Sandra Gonzalez,
CNN Money,
19 June 2026
Noun
-
Laredo International Airport Director Gilberto Sanchez also told CNN affiliate KGNS the aircraft experienced a mechanical failure before crashing.—
Diego Mendoza,
CNN Money,
17 June 2026
-
After years of abject failures, underachievement or agonising near-misses, Tuchel was hired to end England’s wait for a major international men’s trophy, which now extends to 60 years.—
Jack Pitt-Brooke,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
Noun
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Netflix also has a pair of strong four-hour adaptations in the harrowing Lord of the Flies and the darkly comic political tragedy of Death by Lightning.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
17 June 2026
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Since these leaks are invisible and odorless, a portable carbon monoxide detector is the only way to prevent a tragedy.—
Olivia Young,
Travel + Leisure,
17 June 2026
Noun
-
Could a jobs apocalypse be coming?—
Kamal Ahmed,
Fortune,
15 June 2026
-
First contact set on a future Earth trying to recover from a climate apocalypse.—
Brianne Kane,
Scientific American,
12 June 2026
Noun
-
The calamity is the deadliest crash involving a B-52 bomber since 1982.—
Alexandra Skores,
CNN Money,
17 June 2026
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In early times, most humans barely paid attention to weather calamities because the region was so sparsely populated.—
Martin E. Comas,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Catastrophe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/catastrophe. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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