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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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

It is built the same way that the figure skater builds a routine or the running back learns to explode through a crack in the line—repetition after repetition, failure after failure, with no shortcut available and no machine that can stand in.

— Dan Rockmore, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2026
That makes preventing deployment and routing failures especially important as these fleets expand.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of failure

Noun

Sometimes a president doesn’t have to ask for the country’s attention, because catastrophe has already gathered it.

— John Dickerson, The Atlantic, 20 Sep. 2026
The catastrophe was a reminder of not only the destructiveness of Israeli bombing, but also the depth of the continuing privation in Gaza today.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of catastrophe

Noun

Wilson also traces notable instances of building fiascos around New York, like awning collapses and the troubled history of 432 Park, the supertall on Billionaire’s Row.

— Lila Allen, Architectural Digest, 18 Sep. 2026
Neither team punted in the first half, yet the Chargers came away with just seven points, in part because of that goal-line fiasco, and in part because of an Omarion Hampton fumble.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 13 Sep. 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

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“Debacle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debacle. Accessed 22 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of debacle

noun

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