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
During The Great Dying, massive volcanic eruptions triggered catastrophic climate changes that altered the planet’s entire biosphere.
—
Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 18 June 2026
Only the United States was humiliated; both countries have experienced a catastrophic loss.
—Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 18 June 2026
The satellite's primary objective, though, is to observe gamma-ray bursts – events triggered by the catastrophic deaths of massive stars and considered to be the most powerful types of explosions in the universe.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 18 June 2026
The catastrophic part of the book is shockingly witty and beautiful, but the first part shook me even more.
—Literary Hub, 18 June 2026
If the cost of a data leak is catastrophic, the intelligence must be air-gapped within your own security perimeter.
—Anshul Gupta, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026
The Global Financial Crisis was catastrophic for the real economy.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 17 June 2026
That catastrophic storm ended very abruptly!
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 17 June 2026
Beginning next year, insurers will be allowed to sell catastrophic plans that could remain in effect for years, rather than renewing annually.
—Julie Appleby, Miami Herald, 16 June 2026
Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 18 June 2026
Only the United States was humiliated; both countries have experienced a catastrophic loss.
—Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 18 June 2026
The satellite's primary objective, though, is to observe gamma-ray bursts – events triggered by the catastrophic deaths of massive stars and considered to be the most powerful types of explosions in the universe.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 18 June 2026
The catastrophic part of the book is shockingly witty and beautiful, but the first part shook me even more.
—Literary Hub, 18 June 2026
If the cost of a data leak is catastrophic, the intelligence must be air-gapped within your own security perimeter.
—Anshul Gupta, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026
The Global Financial Crisis was catastrophic for the real economy.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 17 June 2026
That catastrophic storm ended very abruptly!
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 17 June 2026
Beginning next year, insurers will be allowed to sell catastrophic plans that could remain in effect for years, rather than renewing annually.
—Julie Appleby, Miami Herald, 16 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for catastrophic
Adjective
-
This study marks the first to use that data to model climate as rising temperatures are expected to fuel more disastrous events, from marine heat waves that kill coral to droughts.—
Jenny Staletovich,
Sun Sentinel,
14 June 2026
-
The next two decades were mostly disastrous.—
Sean Gregory,
Time,
14 June 2026
Adjective
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Drug dealers mix fentanyl, because of its potency and low cost, with other drugs including heroin, methamphetamine and cocaine, which increases the likelihood of a fatal dose, according to the DEA.—
Rosalio Ahumada,
Sacbee.com,
16 June 2026
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Other fatal skydiving crashes in Missouri Sunday’s crash was at least the fourth deadly skydiving incident in Missouri since 1998.—
Ben Wheeler,
Kansas City Star,
16 June 2026
Adjective
-
The visible gap for the door mechanism running across the rear fenders is unfortunate, especially since more basic minivans showcase clean surfaces there.—
Tim Stevens,
Robb Report,
19 June 2026
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Here's Sophie Cunningham dominating another pre-game entrance before an unfortunate loss to Angel Reese last night.—
Zach Dean OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
19 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Catastrophic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/catastrophic. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
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