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
Legislators should realize that a simple law meant to avert potential catastrophic risks seems like an existential risk to those who oppose it.
—
Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Fire is the most catastrophic event possible on a yacht, a plane, or a car.
—Rachel Ingram, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
If the restructuring collapses, those investors can pull their money—a potentially catastrophic blow for a company planning to burn through $115 billion by 2029.
—Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 9 Sep. 2025
In late September 2022, Category 4 Hurricane Ian delivered a catastrophic storm surge to southwest Florida.
—Chris Dolce, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2025
The survival thriller follows Ava, a desperate woman whose husband is missing in the aftermath of a catastrophic military experiment.
—Alex Ritman, Variety, 8 Sep. 2025
Some of the more creative weapons add electrified and fire effects, which cause further catastrophic damage.
—Griff Griffin, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025
The movie tells the story of bus driver Kevin McKay (Matthew McConaughey) and school teacher Mary Ludwig (America Ferrera), who saved the lives of 22 children as the most catastrophic wildfire in California history rages around them.
—Tomris Laffly, Time, 6 Sep. 2025
The 29-year-old running back, who was the league’s Offensive Player of the Year in 2023, is not believed to have suffered any sort of catastrophic injury to his calf.
—Matt Barrows, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2025
Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Fire is the most catastrophic event possible on a yacht, a plane, or a car.
—Rachel Ingram, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
If the restructuring collapses, those investors can pull their money—a potentially catastrophic blow for a company planning to burn through $115 billion by 2029.
—Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 9 Sep. 2025
In late September 2022, Category 4 Hurricane Ian delivered a catastrophic storm surge to southwest Florida.
—Chris Dolce, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2025
The survival thriller follows Ava, a desperate woman whose husband is missing in the aftermath of a catastrophic military experiment.
—Alex Ritman, Variety, 8 Sep. 2025
Some of the more creative weapons add electrified and fire effects, which cause further catastrophic damage.
—Griff Griffin, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025
The movie tells the story of bus driver Kevin McKay (Matthew McConaughey) and school teacher Mary Ludwig (America Ferrera), who saved the lives of 22 children as the most catastrophic wildfire in California history rages around them.
—Tomris Laffly, Time, 6 Sep. 2025
The 29-year-old running back, who was the league’s Offensive Player of the Year in 2023, is not believed to have suffered any sort of catastrophic injury to his calf.
—Matt Barrows, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for catastrophic
Adjective
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Schools’ failure to follow IEPs has resulted in disastrous cases of educational neglect for students like Makenley and Maddox O’Connor.—
IndyStar,
IndyStar,
8 Sep. 2025
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The New York Jets sent that message to Rodgers following a disastrous two-year term.—
Ian O'Connor,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Video of the fatal attack showed Kirk speaking to a large crowd of people on the university campus as a shot rings out.—
Richard Hall,
Time,
11 Sep. 2025
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Though Kirk's visit was controversial on campus, police were tracking no specific or credible threats before the fatal shooting, Utah law enforcement sources told ABC News.—
Meredith Deliso,
ABC News,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
This was the unfortunate and tragic outcome.—
Rachel Wolf,
FOXNews.com,
9 Sep. 2025
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This latest ‘oopsie’ also fits an unfortunate pattern.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
9 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Catastrophic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/catastrophic. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
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