1
as in disaster
a sudden violent event that brings about great loss or destruction
more than one natural catastrophe has threatened to destroy their farm over the years
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in failure
something that has failed
the movie was a catastrophe, nearly bankrupting the studio that produced it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for catastrophe
Noun
-
In any disaster, responding quickly can help save people and salve the harm.—
Zoë Schlanger,
The Atlantic,
15 July 2025 -
But there are some disasters that even the most equipped people can’t possibly prepare for.—
Jessica Pishko,
New Yorker,
15 July 2025
Noun
-
Smith was charged with a traffic offense - failure to yield resulting in a fatality, a source close to the situation told PEOPLE.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
People.com,
12 July 2025
-
Ford is recalling over 850,000 vehicles due to a potential low-pressure fuel pump failure, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, NHTSA.—
Julia Gomez,
USA Today,
12 July 2025
Noun
-
If the answer was yes, then the jobs apocalypse might arrive sooner than even Amodei had predicted.—
Billy Perrigo,
Time,
27 June 2025
-
Like yesterday, and the days before, she is interred in the ground up to her waist, the afterthought of some unnamed apocalypse.—
Han Ong,
New Yorker,
22 June 2025
Noun
-
For past campers, the tragedy turned happy memories into grief.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
7 July 2025
-
While most Americans celebrated Independence Day, a tragedy unfolded in Central Texas.—
The Editors,
National Review,
7 July 2025
Noun
-
This approach came of age following the ecological calamity of the Dust Bowl of the 1930s and remains the planet’s most successful conservation approach.—
Chris Dorsey,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
-
Promises to be full of dry banter in the face of historical upheaval and emotional calamity, which is my favorite Alameddine mode.—
Literary Hub
July 1,
Literary Hub,
1 July 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Catastrophe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/catastrophe. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share