variants
also débâcle
1
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
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
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Recent Examples of debacle
Cuba has been a thorn in the side of the United States for decades, notably including the humiliation of then-President Kennedy over the Bay of Pigs debacle in 1961.
—
Niall Stanage, The Hill, 20 May 2026
But even by those low expectations, the entire affair was a debacle.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 18 May 2026
And with a crop of new players and most of the coaching staff replaced after last season’s debacle, plenty of attention has surrounded Mets manager Carlos Mendoza.
—Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026
So this summer — about a year after that legal debacle — Miami voters will get the chance to decide.
—Miami Herald, 14 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for debacle
Niall Stanage, The Hill, 20 May 2026
But even by those low expectations, the entire affair was a debacle.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 18 May 2026
And with a crop of new players and most of the coaching staff replaced after last season’s debacle, plenty of attention has surrounded Mets manager Carlos Mendoza.
—Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026
So this summer — about a year after that legal debacle — Miami voters will get the chance to decide.
—Miami Herald, 14 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for debacle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debacle
Noun
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The offense has been a disaster, the pitching staff has sustained some key injuries and the club has spent the first two months struggling to keep its head above water.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
30 May 2026
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The Coalition to Prevent Chemical Disasters maps and tracks every chemical disaster reported by the media on its website.—
Jason Henry,
Oc Register,
30 May 2026
Noun
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On a macro level, the failure to sign a right-back last summer left the side lacking balance.—
Patrick Boyland,
New York Times,
27 May 2026
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The six-day chemical crisis began inside the GKN Aerospace facility in Garden Grove and was probably caused by the failure of a cooling system designed to regulate the temperature of chemical tanks, McGovern said.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
27 May 2026
Noun
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If one of the most abiding lessons of that war is how quickly even relatively moderate amounts of general resentment can help produce a global catastrophe, then today’s popular views give real cause for alarm.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 May 2026
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The critic drew a parallel to Passengers and The Stepford Wives in noting that the horror of Bear’s wish is ultimately a form of captivity that the film occasionally risks framing as a romance complication rather than a moral catastrophe.—
Hannah Abraham,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
Noun
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Not only a defeat, not only a fiasco.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
25 May 2026
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One person was arrested following the fiery fiasco.—
Kelsie Cairns,
FOXNews.com,
22 May 2026
Noun
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Already, his story had begun to take on the grim pallor of tragedy.—
Jack Lang,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
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Maternal mortality – the death of a woman during pregnancy or within 42 days of giving birth – is not a rare tragedy.—
Yenupini Joyce Adams,
The Conversation,
27 May 2026
Noun
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The jobs apocalypse is not yet here, but governments waiting for conclusive evidence of it will be acting too late.—
The Week UK,
TheWeek,
24 May 2026
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The climate apocalypse isn’t around the corner after all.—
Roger Pielke Jr,
Washington Post,
20 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Debacle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debacle. Accessed 1 Jun. 2026.
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