1
as in disasters
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in failures
something that has failed
the movie was a catastrophe, nearly bankrupting the studio that produced it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of catastrophes
California is being hammered with more frequent and devastating catastrophes, and that’s making the entire insurance market riskier and more expensive, exacerbating mistakes made by government and the private sector alike.
—
Ben Allen, Oc Register, 2 May 2026
What was in the hearts of the humans who diarized catastrophes on the Elbe’s river rocks seven centuries ago—and in 2018?
—Literary Hub, 30 Apr. 2026
Here are some of the more prominent campaign-altering catastrophes.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 30 Apr. 2026
There has been no lesson learned and inadequate spending on infrastructure improvements, which would help prevent future catastrophes.
—Kristine Alessio, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Apr. 2026
At the center of that calculation is the Disaster Relief Fund, FEMA's primary account for responding to catastrophes.
—Nicole Sganga, CBS News, 23 Apr. 2026
But although the two films have imminent solar catastrophes at their core, their approaches to saving the world from extreme global cooling are radically different.
—Richard Edwards, Space.com, 19 Apr. 2026
Shaboozey doesn’t identify as a poli-sci expert but could still acknowledge human-rights catastrophes.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 8 Apr. 2026
In 1941, Japan’s Pearl Harbor surprise attack triggered a nearly 2-year chain of American military catastrophes.
—Gil Troy, New York Daily News, 29 Mar. 2026
Ben Allen, Oc Register, 2 May 2026
What was in the hearts of the humans who diarized catastrophes on the Elbe’s river rocks seven centuries ago—and in 2018?
—Literary Hub, 30 Apr. 2026
Here are some of the more prominent campaign-altering catastrophes.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 30 Apr. 2026
There has been no lesson learned and inadequate spending on infrastructure improvements, which would help prevent future catastrophes.
—Kristine Alessio, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Apr. 2026
At the center of that calculation is the Disaster Relief Fund, FEMA's primary account for responding to catastrophes.
—Nicole Sganga, CBS News, 23 Apr. 2026
But although the two films have imminent solar catastrophes at their core, their approaches to saving the world from extreme global cooling are radically different.
—Richard Edwards, Space.com, 19 Apr. 2026
Shaboozey doesn’t identify as a poli-sci expert but could still acknowledge human-rights catastrophes.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 8 Apr. 2026
In 1941, Japan’s Pearl Harbor surprise attack triggered a nearly 2-year chain of American military catastrophes.
—Gil Troy, New York Daily News, 29 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for catastrophes
Noun
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With an adjournment deadline of midnight Wednesday, Ritter is facing daily disasters and dramas relating to lawmakers clamoring for votes on bills destined to die without their moment on the floor.—
Mark Pazniokas,
Hartford Courant,
2 May 2026
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Miller served for a decade as chairman of Team Rubicon, a nonprofit that helps communities around the globe recover from disasters.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
Noun
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Many failures can be offset by a single success, which means this form of investing is likely to result in major innovation.—
Anis Uzzaman,
Fortune,
6 May 2026
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But that Panarin trade doesn’t erase the team’s missteps to that point, like the decision to run it back with Jim Hiller despite last postseason’s failures.—
Shayna Goldman,
New York Times,
6 May 2026
Noun
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Based on Thornton Wilder’s The Skin of Our Teeth, the surrealist musical follows one nuclear family across thousands of years and three apocalypses.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
10 Dec. 2025
-
And a lot of the pseudepigrapha, like the fake gospels and fake apocalypses, fill in gaps in the record that can serve latter-day, post-biblical purposes.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Recent horrific tragedies have demonstrated the urgent need to improve Cook County’s process for enforcing warrants, too.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Apr. 2026
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Less known, and more uncomfortable, is how some Democrats tend to go silent on the role that demonization from the left can play in these tragedies too.—
Steven Zeitchik,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
For certain great artists, Meis believes, the creative act is a safe harbor where life’s pressures, exigencies, and calamities aren’t so much denied or resolved as reimagined as pictorial dramas.—
Jed Perl,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
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Colorado went 43-119, a record that belongs in a museum exhibit beside other modern-era calamities, behind glass.—
Jenny Catlin,
New York Times,
25 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Catastrophes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/catastrophes. Accessed 10 May. 2026.
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