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
And despite volatility across markets, oil prices don’t seem to be creeping back toward catastrophic levels.
—
Tiana Lowe Doescher, The Washington Examiner, 13 Mar. 2026
And in some cases, going up against her has resulted in a nearly catastrophic loss in follower count.
—Kathleen Walsh, Vulture, 12 Mar. 2026
Everything seemed to be in its right place until Radio Silence were thrown a potential catastrophic curve ball.
—Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 12 Mar. 2026
Asheville has been rebuilding since Hurricane Helene unleashed catastrophic flooding on parts of Western North Carolina in 2024.
—Jenna Eason, Charlotte Observer, 12 Mar. 2026
Remove Stains Normally, grease stains can be a nightmare to remove, and one slip of tomato sauce onto your favorite blouse or ink spill onto the white carpet can be catastrophic.
—Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 12 Mar. 2026
Massive, life-threatening tornado tears carves 'catastrophic' path across two states.
—FOXNews.com, 11 Mar. 2026
Despite its reliance on natural water sources, a brutal five-year drought has depleted its rivers and aquifers, leaving the nation on the brink of a catastrophic water crisis.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 11 Mar. 2026
Until one night, when she is violently attacked and suffers a catastrophic head injury.
—Ashlee Conour, Chicago Tribune, 11 Mar. 2026
Tiana Lowe Doescher, The Washington Examiner, 13 Mar. 2026
And in some cases, going up against her has resulted in a nearly catastrophic loss in follower count.
—Kathleen Walsh, Vulture, 12 Mar. 2026
Everything seemed to be in its right place until Radio Silence were thrown a potential catastrophic curve ball.
—Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 12 Mar. 2026
Asheville has been rebuilding since Hurricane Helene unleashed catastrophic flooding on parts of Western North Carolina in 2024.
—Jenna Eason, Charlotte Observer, 12 Mar. 2026
Remove Stains Normally, grease stains can be a nightmare to remove, and one slip of tomato sauce onto your favorite blouse or ink spill onto the white carpet can be catastrophic.
—Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 12 Mar. 2026
Massive, life-threatening tornado tears carves 'catastrophic' path across two states.
—FOXNews.com, 11 Mar. 2026
Despite its reliance on natural water sources, a brutal five-year drought has depleted its rivers and aquifers, leaving the nation on the brink of a catastrophic water crisis.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 11 Mar. 2026
Until one night, when she is violently attacked and suffers a catastrophic head injury.
—Ashlee Conour, Chicago Tribune, 11 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for catastrophic
Adjective
-
And as someone who has done this a long time, Musselman understands that the responsibility for the team’s disastrous stretch run ultimately falls squarely on his shoulders.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Noem’s dissmissal comes after she was berated by lawmakers on Capitol Hill over a series of disastrous blunders by her department, including the killings of two American citizens by border patrol agents in Minneapolis and apparent attempts by DHS to stifle investigations into the shootings.—
Emily Zemler,
Rolling Stone,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The man’s death marks Kansas City’s 24th homicide of 2026, compared to 26 at this time last year, according to data tracked by The Star, which includes fatal police shootings.—
Caroline Zimmerman,
Kansas City Star,
11 Mar. 2026
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According to the city's police department, the fatal accident occurred at 1990 S Flamingo Road.—
Ana Maria Soler,
CBS News,
10 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The interviews themselves are informative, but unobtrusive, and the while intimate footage of Frazier and Reynolds’ personal lives paints a slightly wider picture of their circumstances, their moods in the aftermath of their unfortunate digital breakthroughs is kept largely at an arm’s length.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
14 Mar. 2026
-
Juicy is in the unfortunate position of following Jane.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
14 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Catastrophic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/catastrophic. Accessed 15 Mar. 2026.
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