SHIPWRECK Synonyms: 61 Similar and Opposite Words

shipwreck 1 of 2

noun

ˈship-ˌrek

Definition of shipwreck

as in wrecking

the destruction or loss of a ship the shipwreck of much of the Spanish Armada ended Spain's plans for invading England

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in disaster

something that has failed finally admitted that their marriage was a shipwreck and that the time had come to bail out

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

shipwreck

2 of 2

verb

as in to wreck

to cause irreparable damage to (a ship) by running aground or sinking the yachtsman fell asleep at the wheel and shipwrecked his ketch on the rocks

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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 shipwreck

Noun

Divers with a specialized unit of the Carabinieri, Italy’s military police, have uncovered a 2,000-year-old shipwreck on the ocean floor off the northwest coast of Sicily. — Leigh Anne Miller, ARTnews.com, 10 Aug. 2026 Divers have uncovered a Roman-era shipwreck that had remained untouched on the seabed off Sicily for more than 2,000 years, police on the Mediterranean island said. — Isabella Colletta, NBC news, 10 Aug. 2026

Verb

In 1623, Francis Bacon penned The New Atlantis, which recounts the rescue of sailors shipwrecked off of the eastern coast of South America. — Angelica Frey, JSTOR Daily, 28 Apr. 2026 Over Your Dead Body follows a married couple whose relationship is beyond shipwrecked. — David Sims, The Atlantic, 27 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for shipwreck

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shipwreck

Noun

At least, there was a lot less wrecking.

— Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 13 Feb. 2026
The Ravens haven’t really had that game-wrecking pass rusher since Terrell Suggs was in his prime.

— The Athletic NFL Staff, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2026

Definition of wrecking

Noun

Displaced from their homes, hundreds of families resettled on the low-lying banks of the Trishuli river – only to face yet another horrific disaster on Wednesday.

— Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 27 Aug. 2026
Purchase and install emergency generators, integrate electrical systems, and conduct testing and preparedness activities so participating rural hospitals can maintain critical services during outages and disasters.

— Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Arkansas Online, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of disaster

Verb

In addition, Moscow continued its efforts to wreck the Ukrainian power grid before the freezing winter months.

— Hanna Arhirova, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026
But in a case of life imitating art, the show’s entire publicity strategy was inadvertently wrecked by a real-life aristocrat, after reports leaked that Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, was being eyed for a role in the series.

— K.J. Yossman, Variety, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of wreck

Noun

One of his first major tests in office was the sinking of the Kursk, a nuclear submarine that went down with 118 sailors on board.

— Nathan Hodge, CNN Money, 23 Aug. 2026
This is where the sinking of two 260-feet (80 meter) long, barges will be used to temporarily increase the water levels near the nuclear plant.

— Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of sinking

Noun

That tension between catastrophe for humanity and recovery for nature runs all the way to the ending.

— Solitaire Townsend, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2026
The first step in averting this spiral toward catastrophe is for both Beijing and Washington to bear in mind that these economic tools were not designed as weapons.

— GLORIA XIONG, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of catastrophe

Browse Nearby Words

ships (out)

shipwreck

shipwrecked

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“Shipwreck.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shipwreck. Accessed 29 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of shipwreck

noun

verb

Example Sentences

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