1
as in catastrophe
a sudden violent event that brings about great loss or destruction
hurricanes are natural disasters
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Its quick-release, tool-free battery system enables operators to swap batteries within seconds, minimizing downtime during industrial inspections, security patrols, and disaster response operations.
—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
26 June 2026
Thermal satellites add a layer of detection to drones and ground sensors, and Greece has expanded both since the 2018 disaster forced an overhaul of wildfire response.
—
ABC News,
26 June 2026
But now that someone is hoarding spoons, things are officially a disaster.
—
Jen Chaney,
Vulture,
26 June 2026
The cruise turns into a disaster – perhaps inevitable with all of these particular personalities on board – potentially spelling a watery doom for all on the trip.
—
Kambole Campbell,
Variety,
26 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for disaster
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
26 June 2026
Thermal satellites add a layer of detection to drones and ground sensors, and Greece has expanded both since the 2018 disaster forced an overhaul of wildfire response.
—
ABC News,
26 June 2026
But now that someone is hoarding spoons, things are officially a disaster.
—
Jen Chaney,
Vulture,
26 June 2026
The cruise turns into a disaster – perhaps inevitable with all of these particular personalities on board – potentially spelling a watery doom for all on the trip.
—
Kambole Campbell,
Variety,
26 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for disaster
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disaster
Noun
-
Days before the five-year anniversary of the 2021 building collapse that killed 98 people in Surfside, the federal government has published findings that determined the structure of the Champlain Towers South condominium started failing about three weeks before the catastrophe.
-
Chile introduced a tax deduction for catastrophe insurance premiums and resilience retrofit investment.
Noun
-
Taking the midway point of those numbers, an opening weekend of $45 million would be a monumental failure.
-
Then came this spring’s historic and devastating floods across northern Michigan — in some areas, for the first time anyone can remember — swamping homes, pushing dams to the brink of failure and washing out roadways.
Noun
-
First a human scores a model’s outputs — say, how likely a character in a drama would be to react to news of a tragedy with a host of jokes or expressions of sympathy — going back with one score after another to various responses.
-
The parents of the teen killed in the horse carriage crash in Central Park are remembering their son as rides resume a week after the tragedy.
Noun
-
Buffalo State Pizza Company owner Philippe Lechevin expressed slight disappointment in the business his pizzeria and bar’s Crossroads location has seen in the two weeks since the World Cup began.
-
Reaction among Lions fans in Detroit has ranged from shock to disappointment.
Noun
-
And just when things could not look rosier, the SaaS apocalypse occurred.
-
Not for the faint of heart, California’s Salton Sea conjures a sense of apocalypse.
Noun
-
The product was first developed by a French company Sederma, as a non-hormonal, bust-enhancing ingredient.
-
Crafted in plush pink tone, the dress also featured jeweled elements near the neckline and on the bust of the dress.
Noun
-
To grade the 50 states and the District of Columbia on their relative natural disaster risks, five measures were developed that account for the frequency and damage of calamities, weighted against population and geographic size.
-
The calamity is the deadliest crash involving a B-52 bomber since 1982.
Cite this Entry
“Disaster.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disaster. Accessed 27 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
