disasters

noun

plural of disaster
1
as in catastrophes
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 failures
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 disasters Wildfires, earthquakes, severe storms and other disasters can leave little time to gather supplies or figure out where to go, so planning ahead can make all the difference. — Melanie Marshall, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Aug. 2026 Flores experienced one of the country’s deadliest disasters in 1992, when an earthquake and ensuing tsunami killed about 2,500 people. — ABC News, 19 Aug. 2026 But when disasters hit – during an earthquake, hurricane or wildfire evacuation, for example – cellphones can be easily lost or forgotten, their batteries can run down with no way to recharge them, and cell service can become unreliable. — Lee Ann Rawlins Williams, The Conversation, 17 Aug. 2026 Unlike camera-ready disasters—hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, floods, fires—blistering temperatures rarely produce images dramatic enough to go viral. — Eric Klinenberg, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026 These factors make its impacts somewhat of a wild card, experts say, with the effects of global warming acting in concert with El Niño to heighten the severity of heat waves and other disasters. — Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2026 The organization was created by a group of BBQ pitmasters after the deadly 2011 EF-5 tornado in Joplin, Missouri, with the purpose of feeding communities after disasters. — Darius Johnson, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026 Her actions unintentionally turn Souta into a three-legged chair by the mischievous cat Daijin, sending Suzume on a journey to rescue Souta and prevent further disasters. — Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 11 Aug. 2026 Authorities warned of a high risk of geological disasters in parts of Zhejiang, while residents in areas covered by a red mountain-torrent warning were told to ‌follow local evacuation orders. — Reuters, NBC news, 9 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disasters
  1. catastrophes
  2. failures
  3. tragedies
  4. disappointments
  5. apocalypses
  6. bombs
  7. calamities
  8. losers
Noun
  • The contrast is a reminder of the differences between the neighboring nations — their political systems, resources and the strength of their institutions — and a demonstration of how those can take on life-or-death importance in catastrophes.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026
  • The company’s founder, Jeff Bezos, envisions building space habitats that could house billions as a solution to environmental catastrophes on Earth.
    — Marissa E. Yingling, The Conversation, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of catastrophes
Noun
  • During more than 2,600 test interactions, researchers found inaccurate answers, weak sources, and serious safety failures.
    — Dan Fitzpatrick, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Rather than actual service failures, those logistical wrinkles serve as reminders that beneath the polished five-star veneer sits a functioning medical practice attempting to reconcile luxury hospitality with individualized medicine.
    — Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of failures
Noun
  • One of the tragedies of modern MLB ballparks has been losing their iconic features.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Seemingly disconnected except by my mother’s witness, these two events illustrate how tragedies can galvanize change.
    — Dr. Marianne Parshley, Hartford Courant, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of tragedies
Noun
  • In retrospect, Richardson-Whitfield believes some of those disappointments were necessary to put her on the path toward directing.
    — Dominique Fluker, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026
  • And yet, more often than not, modern-day biopic films are disappointments, inert movies that fall into the same narrative traps, leaving audiences cold.
    — Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of disappointments
Noun
  • Based on Thornton Wilder’s The Skin of Our Teeth, the surrealist musical follows one nuclear family across thousands of years and three apocalypses.
    — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 10 Dec. 2025
  • And a lot of the pseudepigrapha, like the fake gospels and fake apocalypses, fill in gaps in the record that can serve latter-day, post-biblical purposes.
    — JSTOR Daily, JSTOR Daily, 16 Oct. 2025
Definition of apocalypses
Noun
  • Stephanie Leshney, founder of Dabble & Dollop, harnessed her more than two decades in the natural ingredient industry to create her line of minimal ingredients, especially bath bombs.
    — Faye Brookman, Footwear News, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Witnesses say fighter jets dropped two bombs minutes apart on Swel Le Oh village, near Mandalay, as more than 100 worshipers gathered, forcing survivors to flee after cremating victims.
    — Grant Peck, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of bombs
Noun
  • Indeed, conflict and calamities are major factors in financial repression.
    — Jason Ma, Fortune, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Defending champion Norris is 91 points back, even after winning the last race in Hungary, while fellow McLaren driver Piastri is seventh after a series of calamities throughout the season.
    — Beau Dure, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of calamities
Noun
  • The winners and the losers Like any economic policy, tariffs won’t benefit all parties.
    — Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Payouts for the runner-up and semifinal losers have also declined relative to the overall purse in the past decade.
    — Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of losers

Browse Nearby Words

disaster
disasters
disastrous
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Cite this Entry

“Disasters.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disasters. Accessed 25 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on disasters

Nglish: Translation of disasters for Spanish Speakers

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