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

Those observations also revealed that Bennu was once part of a much larger, water-rich parent asteroid that shattered in a catastrophic collision in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. — Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 20 Oct. 2026

The catastrophic exit from Afghanistan was devastating to many veterans who had served there. — Azadeh Moaveni, Vanity Fair, 20 Oct. 2026

But the federal plan leaves the door open to steeper reductions that Arizona officials warned could be catastrophic and sued over last week. — Hannah Knowles The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2026

At home, the United States had defeated their armies, destroyed their infrastructure, retaken their territory, emancipated their enslaved, and devastated their economy and society into a catastrophic mess. — Literary Hub, 19 Oct. 2026

Rather than serving as a reminder that people are involved, the kill switch positions the human outside of the loop and ready to flip the switch during a catastrophic emergency. — Trent Wintermeier, The Conversation, 19 Oct. 2026

The Doomsday Glacier is not a countdown to a single catastrophic event. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026

Alone, Kelvin waves generally don’t lead to coastal flooding, but when paired with high tides that exceed 7 feet and storm surges on top of that, the combination can be catastrophic, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. — Alicia Victoria Lozano, NBC news, 17 Oct. 2026

Any permanent cutoff could be catastrophic for Ukraine’s war effort. — Fred Weir, Christian Science Monitor, 16 Oct. 2026