Synonyms of debacle

debacle

noun

dē-ˈbä-kəl 

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

• disaster
• catastrophe
• tragedy
• apocalypse
• calamity
• collapse
• accident
• crash
• fatality
• upheaval
• cataclysm
• casualty
• meltdown
• bloodbath
• Armageddon
• misfortune
• blow
• convulsion
• mishap
• misadventure
• doomsday
• paroxysm
• end-time
• double whammy
• mischance
• blast
• one-two

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• windfall
• manna
• godsend

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• disaster
• failure
• fiasco
• catastrophe
• disappointment
• bust
• loser
• bomb
• washout
• flop
• mess
• shipwreck
• miss
• lemon
• dud
• fizzle
• clunker
• frost
• bummer
• clinker
• turkey
• has-been
• shambles
• botch
• dog
• also-ran
• hash
• near miss
• nonevent
• muddle
• nonstarter

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• success
• blockbuster
• hit
• winner
• phenomenon
• smash
• crackerjack
• corker
• dandy
• jim-dandy

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of debacle

But much like the Jonathan Kuminga debacle last season, the front office refused to take proper stock of reality or stand up for itself. — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 24 July 2026

The debacle, which came on the heels of similar higher-education scandals, was linked to roughly a dozen student suicides, and a retest in June did little to calm public outrage. — Aakash Hassan, Christian Science Monitor, 23 July 2026

The debacle began in May, when the state legislature passed a measure to reform the court system in changes that were backed by Murrill. — Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 22 July 2026

After hiring away half of Fickell’s staff the past few seasons, there’s probably a healthy animosity between the coaches that locks Freeman into a mode that prevents a Northern Illinois or Marshall or Stanford type of debacle. — Pete Sampson, New York Times, 21 July 2026

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