DEBACLE Synonyms: 71 Similar and Opposite Words

debacle

noun

dē-ˈbä-kəl

variants also débâcle

Definition of debacle

as in disaster

a sudden violent event that brings about great loss or destruction the financial debacle that was the stock market crash of 1929

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in failure

something that has failed the movie, which some had predicted would be a blockbuster, turned out to be the summer's biggest debacle at the multiplexes

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of debacle Last year, when there was the SNAP debacle, kids were actually coming to school hungry. — Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 2 Sep. 2026 Supporters highlight funding efforts Perkins and his supporters, however, want voters to know the councilmember’s career has encompassed more than just the data center debacle. — Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 26 Aug. 2026 The debacle has cast light on the various ways in which leverage is increasingly underpinning the wider AI boom. — Hugh Leask, CNBC, 25 Aug. 2026 And as much of a debacle the debate was for her, the rally was a success. — NBC news, 23 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for debacle

Recent Examples of Synonyms for debacle

Noun

Stagg, however, became convinced the day would be stormy – bringing swell and poor visibility that would spell disaster.

— The Week UK, TheWeek, 18 Sep. 2026
Nepal's disaster management agency said five more bodies were located in a different location and equipment was being sent to recover them.

— ABC News, ABC News, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of disaster

Noun

Their failure to receive one may be attributed to their having vague symptoms, such as a general feeling of malaise, weakness, or fluctuating muscle pain.

— Jerome Groopman, The New York Review of Books, 5 Sep. 2026
Compounding the issue was UM’s failure to get to the quarterback.

— Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of failure

Noun

More than 1,000 people have been confirmed dead and thousands remain missing after the catastrophe, according to authorities in both countries.

— Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 6 Sep. 2026
As the story moves breathlessly through the neighborhood’s streets and interiors, Kodeih, who also edited the feature, and cinematographer Tony Kopec zero in on a jumpy, kinetic tension between looming catastrophe and potential triumph.

— Sheri Linden, HollywoodReporter, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of catastrophe

Noun

The wedding invitation fiasco comes just days after Kelce opened up about his and Swift’s special day.

— Allison DeGrushe, StyleCaster, 25 Aug. 2026
Though the reason for Marte’s initial absence remains unknown publicly — the Diamondbacks were so blindsided by it that he was scratched only minutes before Monday’s game — the team seemed eager to move on from the fiasco.

— Marc Carig, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of fiasco

Noun

Ditka has been losing contemporaries since July of 1964, when Willie Gallimore’s Volkswagen swerved and rolled, killing Gallimore and Bo Farrington in a training camp tragedy.

— Dan Pompei, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
For other families quietly and often despairingly living with similar problems of addiction and mental illness involving their children, the tragedy is an unnerving, looming specter — a worst-case scenario made real.

— Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of tragedy

Noun

Those forecasts add hope for office workers after top AI leaders previously signaled a jobs apocalypse was imminent.

— Jason Ma, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2026
Why private credit may avoid a ‘crisis-apocalypse’ Blackstone’s scale attracts outsized scrutiny, and investors’ attempts to pull money from its private credit funds earlier this year made headline news.

— Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of apocalypse

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“Debacle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debacle. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of debacle

noun

Example Sentences

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