1
as in catastrophe
a sudden violent event that brings about great loss or destruction
hurricanes are natural disasters
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in failure
something that has failed
an utter disaster, the play opened and closed on the same miserable night
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of disaster
The first shuttle launched in 1981, but the program took a long hiatus after the Challenger disaster in 1986.
—
Kurt Snibbe, Oc Register, 10 Apr. 2026
Marisol Espino, who lost her home in the Eaton fire and has since become a disaster case manager with the Legacy Land Project, said these financial questions had become a game of mental gymnastics for herself and many of her former neighbors.
—Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026
The annual event, which evolved from Fashion Revolution Day into a longer period for grassroots organizing, policymaker engagement and awareness-raising, begins April 24, the anniversary of the disaster.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 9 Apr. 2026
The first three episodes are a disaster, taking 90 minutes to establish a premise that needs to be wrapped up in the pilot, and littering the plot with enough holes to send even a more polished vehicle careening off track.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 9 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for disaster
Kurt Snibbe, Oc Register, 10 Apr. 2026
Marisol Espino, who lost her home in the Eaton fire and has since become a disaster case manager with the Legacy Land Project, said these financial questions had become a game of mental gymnastics for herself and many of her former neighbors.
—Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026
The annual event, which evolved from Fashion Revolution Day into a longer period for grassroots organizing, policymaker engagement and awareness-raising, begins April 24, the anniversary of the disaster.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 9 Apr. 2026
The first three episodes are a disaster, taking 90 minutes to establish a premise that needs to be wrapped up in the pilot, and littering the plot with enough holes to send even a more polished vehicle careening off track.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 9 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for disaster
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disaster
Noun
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In January 2025, 41-year-old Plaza was struck by tragedy when her husband was found dead by suicide inside his Los Angeles home.—
Jessica Schladebeck,
New York Daily News,
8 Apr. 2026
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Deadly boat tragedies are common in the central African country, where late-night travels and overcrowded vessels are often blamed.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Eno understood that creative blocks are almost always a failure of perspective, not a failure of talent, and sometimes failure can even be an important part of the process overall.—
Jennifer Sodini,
Rolling Stone,
7 Apr. 2026
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The agency said the failure could reduce the driver's visibility and increase the risk of a crash.—
Mary Cunningham,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
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But none of this means the robot apocalypse is imminent.—
Catherina Gioino,
Fortune,
6 Apr. 2026
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With its mix of Norse mythology, eighteenth-century cryptozoology, nineteenth-century science fiction, and the biblical apocalypse, the poem tells of something tragic and mysterious lying just beyond the bounds of human knowing.—
Kathryn Hughes,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The penultimate episode rushes through its climax, but even that brief disappointment, in hindsight, feels like a choice meant to foreground what really matters.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
9 Apr. 2026
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In an interview with CNN, Rutte said Trump had made his disappointment with NATO allies clear.—
Nabih Bulos,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
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For certain great artists, Meis believes, the creative act is a safe harbor where life’s pressures, exigencies, and calamities aren’t so much denied or resolved as reimagined as pictorial dramas.—
Jed Perl,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
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The calamity in the Atlanta race quickly drew comparisons to other errors, where leaders have mistakenly followed lead cars exiting the race course shortly before the finish.—
Bill Chappell,
NPR,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Last July, a K-9 sniffed out $1 million worth of cocaine in a Chicago drug bust.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
8 Apr. 2026
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Tucked between the second and third-floor staircases is a life-size statue of a nude woman leaning forward, her elbows resting on a pedestal displaying a bronze bust of the same statue.—
Jennifer Cannon,
Vanity Fair,
7 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Disaster.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disaster. Accessed 13 Apr. 2026.
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