Synonyms of shipwreck

shipwreck 1 of 2

noun

ˈship-ˌrek 

1

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

• wrecking
• wreck
• sinking
• shipwrecking
• wreckage
• stranding
• beaching
• foundering
• grounding
• scuttling

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• recovery
• salvage
• salvaging

2

as in disaster

something that has failed

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• disaster
• catastrophe
• failure
• disappointment
• bust
• loser
• bomb
• fiasco
• washout
• flop
• debacle
• lemon
• miss
• frost
• clinker
• mess
• dud
• clunker
• turkey
• has-been
• fizzle
• bummer
• dog
• shambles
• also-ran
• botch
• hash
• near miss
• muddle
• nonevent
• nonstarter

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• success
• hit
• winner
• blockbuster
• smash
• phenomenon
• corker
• crackerjack
• dandy
• jim-dandy

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• wreck
• scuttle
• beach
• strand
• founder

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• recover
• salvage

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of shipwreck

Noun

Recent months have also yielded Nazi vehicles, British WWII mines, and multiple historic shipwrecks. — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 27 Aug. 2026

So too were the buildings, including my hotel, which poked through the seven-foot-high snowbanks, looking like an ancient shipwreck covered in shifting sand. — Adam H. Graham, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 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