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.

Working in catastrophe mitigation for the state of Louisiana, Goings likes to be prepared for the worst.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026

The five years since Min Aung Hlaing's coup have been a catastrophe for Myanmar.

From BBC • Apr. 2, 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

But a terrorist attack happens now; death by heart disease is some distant, quiet catastrophe.

From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt

Vocabulary lists containing catastrophe

Break It Down: Cata

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Words from "The Avengers"

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Don't Distress: Words With Irregular Opposites

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