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

Writers in ancient Mesopotamia told several versions of a story in which the gods send a catastrophic flood but warn one man, who then builds a large boat to save his family and animals. — Eric Vanden Eykel, The Conversation, 6 Oct. 2026

The film stars Cruise as an aging oil tycoon whose drilling operations trigger a catastrophic climate change disaster. — Samantha Masunaga, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026

And in a region already suffering from aid shortages, and anticipating even greater food insecurity from this year’s El Nino, humanitarians are rightly nervous about a potential catastrophic fallout. — Cameron Hudson, semafor.com, 5 Oct. 2026

When Menin asked the witnesses to raise a hand if their company carried insurance against catastrophic risks, none did. — Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2026

Both impacts can be catastrophic to agriculture around the world. — Lauren Sommer, NPR, 5 Oct. 2026

The initiative pairs disaster survivors with independent case managers who help them with the overwhelming logistics that come with trying to recover from such a catastrophic event. — Brianna Sacks, Washington Post, 30 Sep. 2026

The player reportedly suffered a catastrophic brain injury during the workout and has been described as unresponsive. — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 30 Sep. 2026

The probe adds to the mounting scrutiny that OpenAI and Anthropic have been facing over their safety practices, especially after industry researchers warned about how the companies’ AI models could cause catastrophic harm. — Ashley Capoot, CNBC, 30 Sep. 2026