1
as in catastrophes
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 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
The country observed three days of national mourning for one of the worst air disasters recorded in recent memory.
—
ABC News, 27 Mar. 2026
The importance of speed Among the many lessons drawn from these disasters was that speed is the coin of the realm.
—Sheena Samu, CBS News, 27 Mar. 2026
And this kind of wholesome content offers respite from endless headlines of wars and disasters.
—Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 26 Mar. 2026
This is especially true this week, as a cascade of disasters (both preventable and not) have caused delays, outages, and long lines across the country.
—Ellen Cushing, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2026
Some disasters have been made by human hands.
—Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
Kids often remember the funny disasters more than the perfect days.
—Lauren Schuster, Charlotte Observer, 25 Mar. 2026
Indeed, the plot, as such, isn’t so much a narrative as a string of minor but incremental disasters that accrue after Carroll steps on a rusty nail in the back garden.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 20 Mar. 2026
Today, new global health research quantifying the risks of pollution exposure helps explain why disasters like Donora were so deadly, and why similar health threats persist.
—Ella Whitman, The Conversation, 19 Mar. 2026
ABC News, 27 Mar. 2026
The importance of speed Among the many lessons drawn from these disasters was that speed is the coin of the realm.
—Sheena Samu, CBS News, 27 Mar. 2026
And this kind of wholesome content offers respite from endless headlines of wars and disasters.
—Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 26 Mar. 2026
This is especially true this week, as a cascade of disasters (both preventable and not) have caused delays, outages, and long lines across the country.
—Ellen Cushing, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2026
Some disasters have been made by human hands.
—Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
Kids often remember the funny disasters more than the perfect days.
—Lauren Schuster, Charlotte Observer, 25 Mar. 2026
Indeed, the plot, as such, isn’t so much a narrative as a string of minor but incremental disasters that accrue after Carroll steps on a rusty nail in the back garden.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 20 Mar. 2026
Today, new global health research quantifying the risks of pollution exposure helps explain why disasters like Donora were so deadly, and why similar health threats persist.
—Ella Whitman, The Conversation, 19 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disasters
Noun
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In 1941, Japan’s Pearl Harbor surprise attack triggered a nearly 2-year chain of American military catastrophes.—
Gil Troy,
New York Daily News,
29 Mar. 2026
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But the effects on Qatar’s economy and global energy markets were profound, offering a glimpse of the catastrophes that might follow a broader Iranian military campaign against energy facilities across the Persian Gulf.—
Shane Harris,
The Atlantic,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
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When a series of tragic failures at New Era Community Health Center left scores of the county’s weakest, poorest and most erratic residents in danger, Florida health inspectors took the unusual step of threatening to shut down the home.—
Carol Marbin Miller,
Miami Herald,
2 Apr. 2026
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In 2023, the number dropped significantly, even as supervision failures within jails persisted, down to 63.—
Ryan Oehrli
April 1,
Charlotte Observer,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Conrad said tragedies like the one that took Altman’s life remind him and other firefighters of the job’s danger.—
Madeline King,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Caroline, as an ambassador of her family’s dynasty, has to offer condolences while keeping a stiff upper lip, only able to work through the latest of many tragedies in her life internally.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
But there is something so wonderful about being fifty and having your own job and having been through so many disappointments that a situation like this is filtered through different experiences and people—the narrator’s discernment has an incredible clarity.—
Cressida Leyshon,
New Yorker,
22 Mar. 2026
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The New York Mets and Atlanta Braves were two of baseball’s biggest disappointments last year, but there is good reason to believe both will be much improved heading into 2026.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
21 Mar. 2026
Noun
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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
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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
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Designed to detonate at high altitude the munition disperses dozens of smaller bombs that are more challenging for Israel's multi-layered air defense system to intercept and can cause damage over a wider area.—
NPR Staff,
NPR,
29 Mar. 2026
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Eliminate bathroom odors with Wabi Whiffs’ fizzy toilet bombs and sprinkles.—
Tory Johnson,
ABC News,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Colorado went 43-119, a record that belongs in a museum exhibit beside other modern-era calamities, behind glass.—
Jenny Catlin,
New York Times,
25 Mar. 2026
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There were intervening calamities that Walz, Ellison and Omar had nothing to do with, COVID-19 and the death of George Floyd.—
Joe Soucheray,
Twin Cities,
7 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
People who criticize the food are losers, and will never understand.—
Sammy Loren,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
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Meta’s project is transforming Richland Parish into a chaotic boomtown almost overnight, with attendant winners and losers.—
Sharon Goldman,
Fortune,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Disasters.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disasters. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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