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

The threat of catastrophic flooding won’t ease up until Friday, as storms drop rain at 2 to 4 inches per hour. — Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 15 July 2026

The National Weather Service warned that storms overnight could dump more than a foot of additional rain to some places into Wednesday, creating potentially catastrophic impacts from flash flooding in areas west of San Antonio. — ABC News, 14 July 2026

After a catastrophic fire shuttered the Raytown restaurant, husband and wife Shawniece and Chris Nicholson almost moved on. — Kansas City Star, 14 July 2026

More than 1,800 public comments flooded the FCC, with astronomers warning that the project is a catastrophic threat to dark sky preservation. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 14 July 2026

Meanwhile, the catastrophic threshold, or out-of-pocket spending limit, will be set at $2,400 next year, up from $2,100 in 2026. — Lorie Konish, CNBC, 14 July 2026

Despite spending nearly a week in the hospital — where physicians also inserted a balloon pump to help his heart recover after surgery — doctors couldn’t determine why an otherwise healthy 36-year-old had suffered such a catastrophic heart attack. — Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 13 July 2026

While a younger person may walk away with little more than a bruise, the same fall can be catastrophic for an older adult, said John Skovran, the medical director of Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Berkeley. — Panashe Matemba-Mutasa, Mercury News, 13 July 2026

The Bearcat Getaway Campground located along the Black River in Lesterville, Missouri, was hit by catastrophic flooding in the southeastern part of the state. — Michael Loria, USA Today, 10 July 2026