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
Artists and arts organizations have derided Gloria’s cuts, calling them a catastrophic blow to communities and the city’s culture.
—
Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2026
At its peak, some areas were moving more than a foot a week, causing catastrophic damage.
—Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2026
Medical staff found catastrophic brain injuries and dozens of bruises across the child’s body, prosecutors said, per the outlets.
—Staff Author, PEOPLE, 6 May 2026
Both sides of the aisle in Minnesota agree the collapse of HCMC would be catastrophic.
—Esme Murphy, CBS News, 6 May 2026
Protecting communities from catastrophic fires is common-sense stewardship that benefits all Californians, including rural and working families.
—Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Oc Register, 4 May 2026
In response, Trump on Friday signed an executive order that could be catastrophic for the island’s economy, already in desperate need of a drastic overhaul and foreign investments.
—Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 4 May 2026
That pursuit ended in a crash that left a teen boy with catastrophic injuries, and a lawsuit filed by his family was ultimately settled for $45 million.
—Caroline Kubzansky, Chicago Tribune, 1 May 2026
This year, several Western states had very dry to record-dry winters, setting them up for a potentially catastrophic wildfire season.
—Austin Amestoy, NPR, 30 Apr. 2026
Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2026
At its peak, some areas were moving more than a foot a week, causing catastrophic damage.
—Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2026
Medical staff found catastrophic brain injuries and dozens of bruises across the child’s body, prosecutors said, per the outlets.
—Staff Author, PEOPLE, 6 May 2026
Both sides of the aisle in Minnesota agree the collapse of HCMC would be catastrophic.
—Esme Murphy, CBS News, 6 May 2026
Protecting communities from catastrophic fires is common-sense stewardship that benefits all Californians, including rural and working families.
—Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Oc Register, 4 May 2026
In response, Trump on Friday signed an executive order that could be catastrophic for the island’s economy, already in desperate need of a drastic overhaul and foreign investments.
—Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 4 May 2026
That pursuit ended in a crash that left a teen boy with catastrophic injuries, and a lawsuit filed by his family was ultimately settled for $45 million.
—Caroline Kubzansky, Chicago Tribune, 1 May 2026
This year, several Western states had very dry to record-dry winters, setting them up for a potentially catastrophic wildfire season.
—Austin Amestoy, NPR, 30 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for catastrophic
Adjective
-
Too much of it can be disastrous for the local ecosystems, leading to issues like algal blooms.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
10 May 2026
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The Lakers coach couldn’t even sub fast enough before Ayton’s two-handed frustration shove of Oklahoma City guard Ajay Mitchell put a disappointing punctuation mark on a disastrous 19-second stretch for the Lakers starting center.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 May 2026
Adjective
-
Two Connecticut State Police troopers have been cleared in connection with a fatal shooting in Bozrah last August after the state Inspector General concluded that the armed woman who was shot was apparently trying to commit suicide by cop.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
12 May 2026
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The star died in 2009, at age 50, of cardiac arrest due to a fatal dose of propofol and other drugs.—
Chris Murphy,
Vanity Fair,
12 May 2026
Adjective
-
Lee said the incident is especially unfortunate, given the good work VCH does.—
Deborah Vankin,
Los Angeles Times,
9 May 2026
-
This is unfortunate and, from your telling, needlessly aggressive.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Mercury News,
7 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Catastrophic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/catastrophic. Accessed 13 May. 2026.
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