Synonyms of catastrophic

catastrophic

adjective

as in disastrous

bringing about ruin or misfortune

a catastrophic tornado destroyed the hamlet's only house of worship

Synonyms & Similar Words

• disastrous
• fatal
• unfortunate
• destructive
• calamitous
• ruinous
• fateful
• damning
• apocalyptic
• cataclysmal
• adverse
• damaging
• detrimental
• harmful
• deleterious
• hapless
• injurious
• pernicious
• luckless
• evil
• baneful
• ill-fated
• prejudicial
• ill-starred
• hurtful
• noxious
• baleful
• ill

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• fortuitous
• happy
• fortunate
• lucky
• providential
• fluky
• promising
• optimistic
• fair
• golden
• hopeful
• bright
• rosy
• encouraging
• propitious
• auspicious
• upbeat
• heartening
• rose-colored

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of catastrophic

Refining these predictive models will also improve safety for reentry vehicles and high-speed aircraft, ultimately minimizing or eliminating catastrophic water damage. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 29 Sep. 2026

If that wasn’t bad enough, the dead satellites would start crashing into things, creating cascades of high-speed debris that could destroy most remaining satellites in a catastrophic domino effect called Kessler syndrome. — Mary Randolph, Scientific American, 29 Sep. 2026

Last year’s catastrophic southern floods, triggered by 25 inches of rain over three days, killed at least 145, inundated more than 33,000 homes and damaged critical facilities such as schools, hospitals and highways. — Reuters, NBC news, 28 Sep. 2026

Anthropic’s safety and security practices, as well as those of its competitors, have been under intense scrutiny in recent weeks after a growing chorus of researchers warned about AI’s potential to cause catastrophic harm. — Ashley Capoot, CNBC, 28 Sep. 2026

Experts have told me 2027 will be even worse than this year, and recent developments at sizable public-sector employers are reinforcing just how catastrophic things are becoming. — Bob Herman, STAT, 28 Sep. 2026

But despite the risks Saudi Arabia still faces, Iran’s situation appears to be catastrophic. — Jason Ma, Fortune, 28 Sep. 2026

This season, which focuses on tracking down Hamas operatives to stop another catastrophic attack on Israel, speaks directly to a post-October 7 Israeli psyche that is consumed by revenge fantasies. — Hannah Seligson, Vanity Fair, 28 Sep. 2026

Leo, who dedicated his first encyclical to AI and protecting humanity in its wake, was asked during a press conference about what the United States and China especially should be doing to prevent AI from posing catastrophic risks to humanity. — ABC News, 28 Sep. 2026