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
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Recent Examples of catastrophes
However, within resources available, countries can build disaster and health response capabilities to mitigate physical and biological catastrophes.
—
Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 18 Jan. 2026
An observer of catastrophes, come what may.
—Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Jan. 2026
Across their nearly 100-year football rivalry, USC and Notre Dame have only paused their annual matchup for global catastrophes like World War II and the Covid-19 pandemic.
—Austin Turner, CBS News, 22 Dec. 2025
Kevin Stefanski might be in his final days as the Cleveland Browns head coach because of the Deshaun Watson trade and all of the catastrophes that followed.
—Jason Lloyd, New York Times, 17 Dec. 2025
With both courtesies and catastrophes refusing to conform, the canton’s school board, publishers, and clergy were forced to produce multiple editions of primers, textbooks, and catechisms; sometimes five parallel print runs were needed for a population the size of a town.
—Simon Akam, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025
The most severe of the parade's many catastrophes saw the Cat in the Hat balloon strike a streetlight at 72nd Street and Central Park West, causing a horizontal metal arm to snap off and fall onto the crowd below.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Nov. 2025
Clara and Riley — with their big hearts and weak armor, untempered by irony, vulnerable to the catastrophes of disillusionment — might as well be our patron saints.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 21 Nov. 2025
But catastrophes also tend to reveal deficits in society, and the patterns of destruction and abandonment that followed the fire—which have roots in America’s past and its present—tell us something about the country’s future, too.
—Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 10 Nov. 2025
Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 18 Jan. 2026
An observer of catastrophes, come what may.
—Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Jan. 2026
Across their nearly 100-year football rivalry, USC and Notre Dame have only paused their annual matchup for global catastrophes like World War II and the Covid-19 pandemic.
—Austin Turner, CBS News, 22 Dec. 2025
Kevin Stefanski might be in his final days as the Cleveland Browns head coach because of the Deshaun Watson trade and all of the catastrophes that followed.
—Jason Lloyd, New York Times, 17 Dec. 2025
With both courtesies and catastrophes refusing to conform, the canton’s school board, publishers, and clergy were forced to produce multiple editions of primers, textbooks, and catechisms; sometimes five parallel print runs were needed for a population the size of a town.
—Simon Akam, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025
The most severe of the parade's many catastrophes saw the Cat in the Hat balloon strike a streetlight at 72nd Street and Central Park West, causing a horizontal metal arm to snap off and fall onto the crowd below.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Nov. 2025
Clara and Riley — with their big hearts and weak armor, untempered by irony, vulnerable to the catastrophes of disillusionment — might as well be our patron saints.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 21 Nov. 2025
But catastrophes also tend to reveal deficits in society, and the patterns of destruction and abandonment that followed the fire—which have roots in America’s past and its present—tell us something about the country’s future, too.
—Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 10 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for catastrophes
Noun
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An extended shutdown could put more pressure on that fund, especially if FEMA must respond to new disasters.—
Meg Kinnard,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Jan. 2026
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And more extreme weather means costlier disasters for American communities, from tracking warning signs to running clean up in the aftermath.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Republicans argue the region’s frustrations reflect years of structural failures under Cooper’s disaster management system, stretching back to earlier storms.—
Samantha-Jo Roth,
The Washington Examiner,
4 Feb. 2026
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Earlier cases against Aguilar were dismissed years after his failures to appear.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
4 Feb. 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
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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
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Some Minnesotans reacted with doubt and concern to Homan’s announcement Thursday, as many residents’ trust in law enforcement has been eroded by the killings of two residents, weeks of clashes and a troubled history of high-profile tragedies.—
Elizabeth Wolfe,
CNN Money,
30 Jan. 2026
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Their songs have a way of leveling the playing field between tiny frustrations that make up a run-of-the-mill bad day and life-altering tragedies that render previous bad days unmemorable.—
Grace Robins-Somerville,
Pitchfork,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The calamities of war shuttered many of the earliest kissa, as entire collections of jazz records were lost.—
Nneka M. Okona,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
21 Jan. 2026
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But even if all those calamities come to pass, hey, Thomas still loves his partner.—
Joseph Hudak,
Rolling Stone,
15 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Catastrophes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/catastrophes. Accessed 6 Feb. 2026.
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