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Definitions

catastrophe

[kuh-tas-truh-fee] / kəˈtæs trə fi /
NOUN
calamity; unhappy conclusion
Synonyms
STRONGEST
accident adversity calamity casualty cataclysm crash debacle devastation disaster emergency failure fiasco hardship meltdown misery mishap tragedy trouble wreck
STRONG
affliction alluvion blow contretemps culmination curtains denouement desolation end fatality finale grief havoc ill infliction misadventure mischance misfortune reverse scourge stroke termination trial upshot waterloo
WEAK
bad luck bad news bad thing the worst
Antonyms
STRONGEST
advantage aid assistance benefit blessing boon creation favor fortune gain good fortune good luck happiness help joy miracle peace profit prosperity success win wonder
STRONG
beginning birth cause comfort commencement delight luck opening origin start

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Later, Rai took stock of the unfolding catastrophe from above.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

Trade unions in Greece had warned that some sort of catastrophe on the railway network was waiting to happen.

From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026

On this week’s Slate Plus bonus episode of Amicus, co-hosts Dahlia Lithwick and Mark Joseph Stern discussed the Justice Department’s latest catastrophe and its potentially massive impact on ICE’s authority to continue its courthouse arrests.

From Slate • Mar. 27, 2026

"The situation remains extremely worrying and the risk of a humanitarian catastrophe... is real," she told reporters in Geneva, speaking from Beirut.

From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026

It was worse than wrong; it was unbeautiful—an ugly, bulging, falling-apart catastrophe, a skyscraper after an earthquake.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee