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

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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

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 Experts warn that catastrophes like this are likely to happen again because rising temperatures in the Himalayas, which are warming faster than the global average, destabilize the region's 60,000 glaciers and trigger more avalanches. — Brittney Melton, NPR, 27 Aug. 2026 As in the case of the catastrophe in Nepal, the hazard itself can also change form. — Milad Haghani, Scientific American, 27 Aug. 2026 In this week's catastrophe, hundreds have lost their homes across the Himalayan region, and officials reported large-scale damage to critical infrastructure, including hydropower dams, roads, buildings and bridges in the region. — CBS News, 27 Aug. 2026 In the past decade, Washington has started to wake up to this ongoing catastrophe. — Literary Hub, 26 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for catastrophe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for catastrophe
  1. disaster
  2. failure
  3. tragedy
  4. apocalypse
  5. calamity
Noun
  • Sceye and SoftBank used an emergency alert system designed for large-scale disasters.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The scale of the disaster has proved challenging for authorities, with morgues overwhelmed by a large number of unidentified remains.
    — Andrew Jones, NBC news, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of disaster
Noun
  • The failures resulted in a divorce during the offseason and this exhibition game at Hard Rock Stadium was the first time the couple happened to be at the same place at the same time since the split.
    — Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 29 Aug. 2026
  • For five months, these players have underperformed, much to the chagrin of their front offices and the fans, who repeatedly boo their failures.
    — Dan Freedman, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of failure
Noun
  • The accident was one of the Portuguese capital’s worst tragedies in recent memory and cast a shadow over the city’s ongoing tourism boom.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Sep. 2026
  • These days, the existential challenges faced by newspapers across the country sound more like a Shakespearean tragedy than a comedy.
    — Julie Hinds, Freep.com, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of tragedy
Noun
  • Why private credit may avoid a ‘crisis-apocalypse’ Blackstone’s scale attracts outsized scrutiny, and investors’ attempts to pull money from its private credit funds earlier this year made headline news.
    — Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Messages break down, signals decay, information rots; the stuff of everyday data dystopia and media apocalypse, but in Braxton’s hands, raw material to be shaped into something recombinant and strange.
    — Reed Jackson, SPIN, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of apocalypse
Noun
  • Young Pavi and her twin sister, Nisha, live in a world that no longer sees the Avatar as humanity’s savior after it was devastated by a calamity.
    — Maira Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026
  • The flooding in Nepal is yet another calamity for a country grimly accustomed to crisis and upheaval.
    — Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of calamity

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cat (around)
catastrophe
catastrophes
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Cite this Entry

“Catastrophe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/catastrophe. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on catastrophe

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about catastrophe

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