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
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Recent Examples of disasters
Those improvements include pipe insulation, walls, attics, weather stripping doors and windows and installing storm windows to prevent future disasters.
—
Tanya Babbar, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 May 2026
The seemingly limitless budgets and bottomless demand for content of the streaming television era have allowed studios to dramatize both long-ago and recent disasters.
—David Faris, TheWeek, 14 May 2026
During his temporary leadership, FEMA ceased door-to-door canvassing to reach survivors after disasters, and canceled a multibillion-dollar resilience grant program, since restored by a federal judge.
—Gabriela Aoun Angueira, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2026
Duffy's tenure has coincided with a chaotic time for air travel, from aviation disasters to shutdown shortages to financial woes caused by high jet fuel prices.
—Rachel Treisman, NPR, 12 May 2026
This record allows scientists to monitor disasters and direct response on the ground and study phenomena.
—Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 12 May 2026
During his temporary leadership, FEMA ceased door-to-door canvassing to reach survivors after disasters, and canceled a multibillion-dollar resilience grant program, since restored by a federal judge.
—Gabriela Aoun Angueira, Chicago Tribune, 11 May 2026
Through skill, sacrifice and professionalism, our first responders have narrowly avoided major disasters, including the recent high-rise fire in Towson that could have ended far worse without rapid response and coordination on scene.
—Nick Stewart, Baltimore Sun, 9 May 2026
Which disasters qualify for federal support would also change.
—ABC News, 7 May 2026
Tanya Babbar, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 May 2026
The seemingly limitless budgets and bottomless demand for content of the streaming television era have allowed studios to dramatize both long-ago and recent disasters.
—David Faris, TheWeek, 14 May 2026
During his temporary leadership, FEMA ceased door-to-door canvassing to reach survivors after disasters, and canceled a multibillion-dollar resilience grant program, since restored by a federal judge.
—Gabriela Aoun Angueira, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2026
Duffy's tenure has coincided with a chaotic time for air travel, from aviation disasters to shutdown shortages to financial woes caused by high jet fuel prices.
—Rachel Treisman, NPR, 12 May 2026
This record allows scientists to monitor disasters and direct response on the ground and study phenomena.
—Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 12 May 2026
During his temporary leadership, FEMA ceased door-to-door canvassing to reach survivors after disasters, and canceled a multibillion-dollar resilience grant program, since restored by a federal judge.
—Gabriela Aoun Angueira, Chicago Tribune, 11 May 2026
Through skill, sacrifice and professionalism, our first responders have narrowly avoided major disasters, including the recent high-rise fire in Towson that could have ended far worse without rapid response and coordination on scene.
—Nick Stewart, Baltimore Sun, 9 May 2026
Which disasters qualify for federal support would also change.
—ABC News, 7 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disasters
Noun
-
The kind of tiny culinary catastrophes most diners would never notice, but that a young chef chasing greatness apparently sees in his sleep.—
Noel Burgess,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
-
California is being hammered with more frequent and devastating catastrophes, and that’s making the entire insurance market riskier and more expensive, exacerbating mistakes made by government and the private sector alike.—
Ben Allen,
Oc Register,
2 May 2026
Noun
-
In mid-2025, the ARISE team reported that the best-performing model achieved a 70% success rate, with most failures clustering around tasks requiring three or more steps.—
Spencer Dorn,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2026
-
As in most insurance company failures, PHL flopped for several reasons.—
Gretchen Morgenson,
NBC news,
20 May 2026
Noun
-
Firstly, the inciting tragedies are not fresh in terms of time, even if the pain is still all too raw nearly 20 years after the fact.—
Josh Slater-Williams,
IndieWire,
19 May 2026
-
But autopsy reports — one record of how these babies died — painted the clearest picture of these tragedies.—
Duaa Eldeib,
ProPublica,
18 May 2026
Noun
-
Her compelling personal perspective on 40-plus years of post-Revolutionary Iran provides a chronicle of great hopes and even greater disappointments.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
22 May 2026
-
Then came a series of playing disappointments.—
Langston Wertz Jr,
Charlotte Observer,
22 May 2026
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
Noun
-
Zelensky said on Sunday morning that the Russians had launched 3,170 drones, 1,300 bombs, and over 70 missiles at Ukraine, killing 52 people and injuring 346 others.—
Molly Parks,
The Washington Examiner,
17 May 2026
-
And farmers kill elephants by gunshot, electrocution and jaw bombs — explosives hidden in food that shatter an elephant's jaws so the animal starves to death.—
Diaa Hadid,
NPR,
16 May 2026
Noun
-
The winter had been a season of calamities, with one emergency or challenge after another.—
Moira McCarthy,
Boston Herald,
10 May 2026
-
Farmers markets — that humble and charming throwback to a bygone era — are also struggling with higher fuel prices, after weathering the economic calamities of the pandemic and other misfortunes.—
Andrew J. Campa,
Los Angeles Times,
9 May 2026
Noun
-
Remember though, like with most Wall Street history, there will be winners and there will be losers.—
Brian Sullivan,
CNBC,
13 May 2026
-
There will be both winners and losers when the dust settles.—
Phillip Molnar,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Disasters.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disasters. Accessed 24 May. 2026.
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