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
Early warnings were dismissed before, with catastrophic consequences.
—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 9 Apr. 2026
For a community already grappling with a $24 million budget deficit this year, the financial consequences of an additional $100 million debt are beyond catastrophic.
—John Gates, Denver Post, 9 Apr. 2026
In the Bay Area, counties are bracing for catastrophic losses; Santa Clara County alone projects a shortfall of up to $1 billion over the next few years, forcing local governments to scramble for regressive sales taxes to fund what progressive federal taxes once covered.
—Markos Kounalakis, Mercury News, 8 Apr. 2026
But beyond the humanitarian costs, blacking out the entire nation would be economically catastrophic for the region and could trigger a global recession.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 7 Apr. 2026
In early July, more than 130 people were killed in catastrophic flash flooding in the Texas Hill Country region, including 27 campers and counselors at Camp Mystic, a private Christian summer camp for girls.
—S.e. Jenkins, CBS News, 7 Apr. 2026
Clancy has also filed a lawsuit against her medical providers, alleging a catastrophic failure in diagnosing and treating her mental health condition.
—Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 7 Apr. 2026
The Iran war has been catastrophic for global oil and gas supplies, sending prices soaring.
—Npr Staff, NPR, 7 Apr. 2026
That number may not register as catastrophic to policymakers or insurers.
—John Fomeche, STAT, 7 Apr. 2026
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 9 Apr. 2026
For a community already grappling with a $24 million budget deficit this year, the financial consequences of an additional $100 million debt are beyond catastrophic.
—John Gates, Denver Post, 9 Apr. 2026
In the Bay Area, counties are bracing for catastrophic losses; Santa Clara County alone projects a shortfall of up to $1 billion over the next few years, forcing local governments to scramble for regressive sales taxes to fund what progressive federal taxes once covered.
—Markos Kounalakis, Mercury News, 8 Apr. 2026
But beyond the humanitarian costs, blacking out the entire nation would be economically catastrophic for the region and could trigger a global recession.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 7 Apr. 2026
In early July, more than 130 people were killed in catastrophic flash flooding in the Texas Hill Country region, including 27 campers and counselors at Camp Mystic, a private Christian summer camp for girls.
—S.e. Jenkins, CBS News, 7 Apr. 2026
Clancy has also filed a lawsuit against her medical providers, alleging a catastrophic failure in diagnosing and treating her mental health condition.
—Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 7 Apr. 2026
The Iran war has been catastrophic for global oil and gas supplies, sending prices soaring.
—Npr Staff, NPR, 7 Apr. 2026
That number may not register as catastrophic to policymakers or insurers.
—John Fomeche, STAT, 7 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for catastrophic
Adjective
-
Trailing by three after a disastrous first period, the Sharks got goals from Nick Leddy and Macklin Celebrini in the second period, and a nifty third-period goal from Alex Wennberg to tie the game and bring the capacity crowd at SAP Center to life.—
Curtis Pashelka,
Mercury News,
5 Apr. 2026
-
The regular sight of US citizens paraded in Iran was disastrous for former President Jimmy Carter.—
Sophie Tanno,
CNN Money,
5 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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But, really, this did feel like a night when those play-off hopes were dealt a potentially fatal blow.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Measles is a highly contagious airborne disease causing fever, respiratory symptoms and a characteristic rash and can sometimes have severe or fatal complications, especially in young children, according to WHO.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The Russian ambassador to Libya hung out in my room, as did a Russian kid named Konstantin with an unfortunate stutter and endearing affection for the American rock band Metallica.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Apr. 2026
-
The film is a Hulu release, continuing the rather unfortunate trend of comedy no longer being the box office powerhouse it once was.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Catastrophic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/catastrophic. Accessed 10 Apr. 2026.
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