disaster

American  

[dih-zas-ter, -zah-ster] / dɪˈzæs tər, -ˈzɑ stər /

noun

1. a calamitous event, especially one occurring suddenly and causing great loss of life, damage, or hardship, as a flood, airplane crash, or business failure.

   Synonyms:

   affliction, adversity, reverse, blow, accident, mishap, misadventure, misfortune, mischance

2. Obsolete. an unfavorable aspect of a star or planet.

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disaster British  

/ dɪˈzɑːstə /

noun

1. an occurrence that causes great distress or destruction

2. a thing, project, etc, that fails or has been ruined

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Synonym Usage

Disaster, calamity, catastrophe, cataclysm refer to adverse happenings often occurring suddenly and unexpectedly. A disaster may be caused by carelessness, negligence, bad judgment, or the like, or by natural forces, as a hurricane or flood: a railroad disaster. Calamity suggests great affliction, either personal or general; the emphasis is on the grief or sorrow caused: the calamity of losing a child. Catastrophe refers especially to the tragic outcome of a personal or public situation; the emphasis is on the destruction or irreplaceable loss: the catastrophe of a defeat in battle. Cataclysm, physically an earth-shaking change, refers to a personal or public upheaval of unparalleled violence: a cataclysm that turned his life in a new direction.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• disastrous
  adjective
• predisaster
  noun

Etymology

Origin of disaster

First recorded in 1585–95; from Middle French desastre, from Italian disastro, from dis- dis- ¹ + astro “star” (from Latin astrum, from Greek ástron )

Explanation

An earthquake, an oil spill, an economic collapse, a party with inedible food and truly awful music: Each of these could be described as a disaster, a cataclysmic event causing extreme suffering, even total destruction. Disaster made its way into the English language from Greek. The second part of the word is derived from astron — "star" or "planet," familiar from words like astronomy and astronaut. Dis- is prefix with a meaning similar to "un-" or "mis-," but with clearly negative connotations. Translated literally, disaster means "bad or unlucky star," and it's a relic of a time when astrology was considered a serious science that could predict events — including disasters you might try to avoid — in your life on Earth!

Example Sentences

Communications professionals, previously relegated to the periphery, are now front and center in the C-suite, partly emboldened by CEOs’ fears that even the smallest misstep can swiftly balloon into a corporate disaster.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026

In Mindanao's Davao City, a local disaster official said only that authorities were monitoring the situation and would post updates on social media.

From Barron's • Jun. 8, 2026

They tabulate all the numbers given by various sources including the police, local officials and disaster relief agencies.

From BBC • Jun. 8, 2026

Unlike most disaster sites, where the scars eventually disappear, at BJ Medical College grief has become a permanent resident.

From BBC • Jun. 7, 2026

Navy never realized that the Indianapolis was overdue at its next port of call and never sent a rescue party to the disaster site.

From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler

Related Words

• calamity
• catastrophe
• collapse
• crash
• debacle
• defeat
• emergency
• failure
• fiasco
• flood
• harm
• hazard
• holocaust
• mishap
• setback
• tragedy
• woe