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 Rodríguez has rejected suggestions that authorities understated the disaster, saying the government releases only casualty figures that have been fully verified and would not speculate about the final toll. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 23 July 2026 The hospital includes two operating rooms, a pharmacy and a laboratory, while doctors continue performing orthopedic surgeries and treating infections and other conditions left untreated in the aftermath of the disaster. — Jasmine Baehr, FOXNews.com, 22 July 2026 Errant thoughts will still arise (the laundry, the email, the certainty that your opening scene is a disaster) but in a mindful state, those thoughts are observable. — April Dávila, Literary Hub, 22 July 2026 The company also has Swedish-language disaster thriller Vaka for Prime Video Nordics, which premiered earlier this year. — Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 22 July 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
  • For the second year in a row, this quiet Hill Country town is digging itself out of a catastrophe that has mercilessly taken a community trying to heal and set them back on the path of mourning.
    — Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 20 July 2026
  • Every child identified before a catastrophe reminds us that statistics represent real people.
    — Torie Bosch, STAT, 18 July 2026
Definition of catastrophe
Noun
  • Given Zidane won the Champions League in three successive years as coach of Real Madrid, anything less than victory at the European Championship in 2028 will be considered a failure.
    — James Horncastle, New York Times, 19 July 2026
  • At the time he was arrested, authorities had issued a separate warrant for Milton stemming from his failure to appear in court and alleged curfew violations in a retail theft case, court records show.
    — Dan Petrella, Chicago Tribune, 18 July 2026
Definition of failure
Noun
  • The Pan American Health Organization has also warned of a prolonged health crisis following the tragedy related to mental health, infectious diseases and poor sanitation.
    — Alfie Pannell, Miami Herald, 23 July 2026
  • Forged in the fire of tragedy, billionaire Bruce Wayne becomes something both more and less than human–the BATMAN.
    — Katie Campione, Deadline, 23 July 2026
Definition of tragedy
Noun
  • The club has transformed from one of baseball’s biggest disappointments into a legitimate contender over the second half.
    — Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
  • Christa’s family, through their attorney, have expressed disappointment about his escape.
    — Janelle Griffith, PEOPLE, 21 July 2026
Definition of disappointment
Noun
  • The rest of the season followed suit, delivering Teri's (Enuka Okuma) apocalypse story, and so much more.
    — Samantha Highfill, Entertainment Weekly, 6 July 2026
  • The same year, another, longer-running TV version focused on the story of survivors after an alien apocalypse that had wiped out most of the Earth's population.
    — Richard Edwards, Space.com, 4 July 2026
Definition of apocalypse
Noun
  • For his first ten years as a professional, Messi was regarded as something of a bust at the international level.
    — Sam Knight, New Yorker, 20 July 2026
  • The other money factor is that podcasting’s boom cycle around 2019 inevitably turned into a bust cycle several years later.
    — Frank Racioppi, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
Definition of bust
Noun
  • At the heart of the celebration is Kyoto’s Yasaka Shrine, a Shinto site whose principal deity has long been revered as a protector against calamities.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 19 July 2026
  • With one day to go, DeChambeau’s week has been an electric circus of golf-adjacent calamity.
    — Justin Ray, New York Times, 19 July 2026
Definition of calamity

Browse Nearby Words

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 25 Jul. 2026.

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