as in disastrous
bringing about ruin or misfortune
a catastrophic tornado destroyed the hamlet's only house of worship
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Recent Examples of catastrophic
Minutes away from his position in Arcadia, reports indicated a fire had started in approximately the same place where, in 1993, another fire had brought about catastrophic consequences.
—
Literary Hub, 8 Jan. 2026
Stand looking out from the wide intersection of East Mariposa Street and Lake Avenue for one potent, representative view of Altadena a year after the catastrophic Eaton fire.
—Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
Following the catastrophic event, Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) and other members of Grey Sloan Memorial began rebuilding while trying to stay hopeful — a theme that will continue throughout the installment.
—Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 8 Jan. 2026
The sirens would only activate when there's a tornado warning, a considerable and catastrophic flash flood warning, or a destructive thunderstorm warning.
—Dennis Valera, CBS News, 7 Jan. 2026
Imagine a catastrophic government-wide or industry-wide data crash—due either to cyber collapse or cyber attack.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 7 Jan. 2026
But eventually, our very long and adventurous relationship went up in flames, the most catastrophic breakup of my life.
—Terry Ward, CNN Money, 6 Jan. 2026
The leader of these superheroes rips off his protective visor and unleashes a catastrophic optic blast.
—Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Jan. 2026
While not catastrophic, the anecdote suggested the urgency of the matter.
—Eric Sullivan, Scientific American, 6 Jan. 2026
Literary Hub, 8 Jan. 2026
Stand looking out from the wide intersection of East Mariposa Street and Lake Avenue for one potent, representative view of Altadena a year after the catastrophic Eaton fire.
—Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
Following the catastrophic event, Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) and other members of Grey Sloan Memorial began rebuilding while trying to stay hopeful — a theme that will continue throughout the installment.
—Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 8 Jan. 2026
The sirens would only activate when there's a tornado warning, a considerable and catastrophic flash flood warning, or a destructive thunderstorm warning.
—Dennis Valera, CBS News, 7 Jan. 2026
Imagine a catastrophic government-wide or industry-wide data crash—due either to cyber collapse or cyber attack.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 7 Jan. 2026
But eventually, our very long and adventurous relationship went up in flames, the most catastrophic breakup of my life.
—Terry Ward, CNN Money, 6 Jan. 2026
The leader of these superheroes rips off his protective visor and unleashes a catastrophic optic blast.
—Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Jan. 2026
While not catastrophic, the anecdote suggested the urgency of the matter.
—Eric Sullivan, Scientific American, 6 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for catastrophic
Adjective
-
The spotlight increased after a disastrous interview with CBS to promote the legendary coach’s book.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
9 Nov. 2025
-
Second goal breaks Charlotte’s back The second half opened with a disastrous sequence for Charlotte.—
Colin Cerniglia,
Charlotte Observer,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Several hundred protesters gathered at First Ward Park on Thursday night in response to Wednesday’s fatal shooting of a woman in Minneapolis by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Jan. 2026
-
John Mulaney has postponed three upcoming shows in Minneapolis following the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer.—
Amy McCarthy,
PEOPLE,
9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Their late concession of the winning penalty to Morgan Gibbs-White, above, was unfortunate.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Many unfortunate events were blamed on poison—the unexpected death of an enslaver or a slave, a spate of local deaths due to a virus or other disease, or problems on the plantation such as ill livestock or bad harvests.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Catastrophic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/catastrophic. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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