disaster

noun

di-ˈza-stər How to pronounce disaster (audio)
Definition of disasternext
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 disaster Rescuers continued recovering bodies from the artisanal mining site in Zamboye, near the border with Cameroon, but local workers said that the response lacked the equipment and expertise needed for a disaster of this scale. — Jean Fernand Koena, Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026 Officials in Lake and Porter counties have issued disaster declarations. — Carole Carlson, Chicago Tribune, 20 Aug. 2026 Slash’s groundsnake won’t hurt humans, but human activity could spell disaster for this snake and other creatures in New Guinea. — Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 20 Aug. 2026 Adames also committed an error on a routine grounder in the bottom of the seventh that could’ve spelled disaster, but Houser got out of the inning unscathed. — Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 20 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for disaster
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disaster
  1. catastrophe
  2. failure
  3. tragedy
  4. disappointment
  5. apocalypse
  6. bust
  7. calamity
Noun
  • Massive crude stockpiles before the war helped prevent catastrophe when supply dried up.
    — David Goldman, CNN Money, 17 Aug. 2026
  • As the summer of 2001 wears on through the lens of Kopple’s camera, our knowledge of the coming catastrophe casts a shadow over the proceedings.
    — Naomi Fry, New Yorker, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of catastrophe
Noun
  • There was widespread concern in San Antonio last fall that a failure to approve a new arena could open the door for the Spurs to relocate to Austin.
    — Jared Weiss, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Reports vary on the exact level of success or failure of Meghan's brand As Ever, but the jam, flower sprinkles and scented candles have become a bit of a joke.
    — Christina Dugan Ramirez , Ashley Papa , Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of failure
Noun
  • At first, its plea to remain somewhere in an old lover’s life can feel like the whole tragedy.
    — Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Boeing has admitted fault in these tragedies, attributing the cause of the crashes to a flawed Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS).
    — Erin Jensen, USA Today, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of tragedy
Noun
  • This is a swing game that could be the difference between further disappointment and perhaps a winning record and bowl eligibility.
    — Andre C. Fernandez, Miami Herald, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Men’s tennis player Nick Kyrgios expressed disappointment in himself after testing positive for cocaine.
    — Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of disappointment
Noun
  • Worried about the dog in the sci-fi apocalypse thriller The End of Oak Street?
    — Greg Evans, Deadline, 15 Aug. 2026
  • But now, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is pushing back against the predictions of a job apocalypse once made by his fellow tech CEOs, including Anthropic’s Dario Amodei and OpenAI’s Sam Altman.
    — Preston Fore, Fortune, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of apocalypse
Noun
  • O’Higgins spent about two years in Richmond, and his connection to the house is marked by an English Heritage Blue Plaque; a bust of him stands nearby in O’Higgins Square, where the borough celebrates his birthday each year.
    — Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Two Penn State University fraternities are at the center of a cocaine trafficking ring bust, leading to charges against 14 people, authorities announced on Monday.
    — Madeline Bartos, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of bust
Noun
  • The latest findings indicated the vest could reduce an astronaut’s radiation dose by about 60% in a solar storm as fierce as the one in 1972 and by nearly 40% in a calamity mirroring 1989.
    — Marcia Dunn, Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2026
  • What followed was a season of extended power outages, blue-tarped roofs and yet a strange sense of community, as neighbors went out of their way to look after those that had shared in their calamity.
    — Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of calamity

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disassociating
disaster
disasters
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Cite this Entry

“Disaster.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disaster. Accessed 21 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of disaster for Spanish Speakers

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