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
The line between the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Hezbollah is more blurred than ever after the latter’s catastrophic performance in the 2023-2024 war with Israel.
—
Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 26 Mar. 2026
The catastrophic 1969 offshore oil spill in Santa Barbara killed thousands of sea birds and marine mammals.
—Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
But a catastrophic ‘Stormganza’ threatens to derail the high-speed train, and the duo have to join forces with the snobby first class attendants and President Gagwell (RuPaul) to save the day in this wild ride of camp and comedy.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 25 Mar. 2026
Running the table and getting some help could catapult them into third place or perhaps second, and a catastrophic string of losses could drop them to sixth.
—Joe Vardon, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2026
The Human Rights and Technology Justice Organization brief didn’t take a position who should win in court, but argued against militarized AI broadly, and stating that its use could lead to catastrophic human rights risks.
—Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 25 Mar. 2026
The storm prompted evacuation orders for about 5,500 people north of Honolulu, and more than 200 people were rescued from catastrophic flooding, authorities said.
—Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 24 Mar. 2026
Those storms brought catastrophic flooding, destructive winds and storm surge that reshaped neighborhoods and recovery efforts for years.
—Newsroom Meteorologist, Houston Chronicle, 24 Mar. 2026
The state had entered the Civil War feeling the effects of a catastrophic economic crash that had stymied its growth.
—Bill Steiden, Des Moines Register, 24 Mar. 2026
Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 26 Mar. 2026
The catastrophic 1969 offshore oil spill in Santa Barbara killed thousands of sea birds and marine mammals.
—Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
But a catastrophic ‘Stormganza’ threatens to derail the high-speed train, and the duo have to join forces with the snobby first class attendants and President Gagwell (RuPaul) to save the day in this wild ride of camp and comedy.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 25 Mar. 2026
Running the table and getting some help could catapult them into third place or perhaps second, and a catastrophic string of losses could drop them to sixth.
—Joe Vardon, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2026
The Human Rights and Technology Justice Organization brief didn’t take a position who should win in court, but argued against militarized AI broadly, and stating that its use could lead to catastrophic human rights risks.
—Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 25 Mar. 2026
The storm prompted evacuation orders for about 5,500 people north of Honolulu, and more than 200 people were rescued from catastrophic flooding, authorities said.
—Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 24 Mar. 2026
Those storms brought catastrophic flooding, destructive winds and storm surge that reshaped neighborhoods and recovery efforts for years.
—Newsroom Meteorologist, Houston Chronicle, 24 Mar. 2026
The state had entered the Civil War feeling the effects of a catastrophic economic crash that had stymied its growth.
—Bill Steiden, Des Moines Register, 24 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for catastrophic
Adjective
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So had Florida not decided to tweak its offense to emphasize paint touches, dwindling the bricks its guards had regularly tossed through the first two disastrous months, this could have been a historic season.—
Noah White,
Miami Herald,
22 Mar. 2026
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Part of the rush to take up flags may be the disastrous economy in Britain.—
Simon Constable,
FOXNews.com,
22 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The House of Representatives has twice passed such a bill with a handful of Democrats signing on, but in the Senate, Democrats have held up the bill over demands for Immigrations and Customs Enforcement reforms after the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents in January.—
Arden Farhi,
CBS News,
25 Mar. 2026
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The collision was the first fatal crash at Laguardia Airport in 34 years.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
24 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
That house has a history of unfortunate events, including the fate of Cookie, an errant heiress and her pooch.—
Pat Beall,
Sun Sentinel,
27 Mar. 2026
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The start of 2026 has been a series of unfortunate events for Michelle Harris and her family.—
Monique John,
CBS News,
27 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Catastrophic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/catastrophic. Accessed 29 Mar. 2026.
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