1
as in fatal
bringing about ruin or misfortune
a split-second, disastrous decision that I would forever regret
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in devastating
causing or tending to cause destruction
a disastrous fire from which the town never fully recovered
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 disastrous
Dahmen led most of the tournament, but a disastrous final round cost him.
—
Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Apr. 2025
The horrific firestorm in January in California has already marked 2025 as a disastrous year for U.S. wildfires.
—Doyle Rice, USA Today, 24 Apr. 2025
After a disastrous meeting between Trump and Putin in Helsinki, in July, 2018, Trump’s Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, took advantage of the bad news cycles to issue a solemn declaration that the United States would never, ever go along with Putin’s theft of Crimea.
—Susan B. Glasser, New Yorker, 24 Apr. 2025
Clooney held a fundraiser just days before Biden’s disastrous debate performance last June, which ultimately led Clooney to write an op-ed calling on the president to step aside.
—Lauren Irwin, The Hill, 22 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for disastrous
Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Apr. 2025
The horrific firestorm in January in California has already marked 2025 as a disastrous year for U.S. wildfires.
—Doyle Rice, USA Today, 24 Apr. 2025
After a disastrous meeting between Trump and Putin in Helsinki, in July, 2018, Trump’s Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, took advantage of the bad news cycles to issue a solemn declaration that the United States would never, ever go along with Putin’s theft of Crimea.
—Susan B. Glasser, New Yorker, 24 Apr. 2025
Clooney held a fundraiser just days before Biden’s disastrous debate performance last June, which ultimately led Clooney to write an op-ed calling on the president to step aside.
—Lauren Irwin, The Hill, 22 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for disastrous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disastrous
Adjective
-
Across all suicide attempts not involving a firearm, only 4% result in death; but for firearm suicide, approximately 90% of attempts are fatal.—
Alyssa Goldberg,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2025
-
That stretch proved to be fatal for the Heat, as the Cavaliers extended their lead to nine with 16.9 seconds to play and put the game away before Miami scored again following this rough late-game span.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
24 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Memories are fresh here of the devastating two quakes in southern Turkey in 2023.—
Ross Rosenfeld,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Apr. 2025
-
Five years after a devastating pandemic, global health is falling off the public’s radar just as governments around the world are slashing foreign assistance funding.—
Jennifer Lotito,
Forbes.com,
23 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
In 2022, Manhattan Federal Judge Jed Rakoff, who presided over both trials, decided The Times was not liable for defamation while jurors were deliberating, that the error amounted to unfortunate editorializing but not libel.—
Molly Crane-Newman,
New York Daily News,
22 Apr. 2025
-
Such a difficult call really spotlighted for the first time how tough a situation he has been left in by Eddie Howe’s unfortunate absence (due to pneumonia).—
Chris Waugh,
New York Times,
22 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The indictment further alleges that, during this same period, Hamad conspired with co-defendant Collins to manufacture and possess destructive devices.—
Jasmine Baehr,
FOXNews.com,
27 Apr. 2025
-
Here’s another destructive attempt to tamper with a longstanding federal law.—
U T Readers,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Disastrous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disastrous. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share