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

But the day after her last conversations with her family, catastrophic floods struck Nepal’s valleys along the Chinese border killing more than 1,000 people and leaving another roughly 3,900 unaccounted for, according to the Associated Press. — Wendy Grossman Kantor, PEOPLE, 1 Sep. 2026

More than 1,000 people are dead and nearly 4,000 missing after a Himalayan glacial collapse unleashed catastrophic floods across the Nepal-China border, obliterating roads, towns and hydropower projects. — Shristi Kafle, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026

The overwhelming stench of death is crushing hopes that more survivors will be found in Bidur, a town in Nepal’s Nuwakot district, devastated by last week’s catastrophic floods. — Surendra Phuyal, NBC news, 1 Sep. 2026

The activist also reshared birthday shoutouts from Tibetan figures, as well as PSAs and coverage about the catastrophic flash floods across the Himalayas. — Taijuan Moorman, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026

The death toll from the catastrophic floods that swept through parts of Nepal and Tibet last week has risen beyond 1,000 people, while thousands of people remain missing. — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 1 Sep. 2026

Roughly 80 Americans remain unaccounted for following the catastrophic Himalayan flood last Wednesday that killed hundreds of people, the State Department said. — Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 1 Sep. 2026

As trains must cross a structure that shifts constantly with wind and waves, engineers spent years developing unprecedented technologies to handle the immense weight and prevent catastrophic derailments into the water. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 31 Aug. 2026

The extent of the damage is still unknown, according to the Scouting America Longhorn Council website, but aerial images and photos taken by emergency response personnel show catastrophic damage to many of the buildings. — Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Aug. 2026