catastrophe
Americannoun
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catastrophes
plural
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a sudden and widespread disaster.
the catastrophe of war.
- Synonyms:
- calamity, misfortune
- Antonyms:
- triumph
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any misfortune, mishap, or failure; fiasco.
The play was so poor our whole evening was a catastrophe.
-
a final event or conclusion, usually an unfortunate one; a disastrous end.
the great catastrophe of the Old South at Appomattox.
- Antonyms:
- triumph
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(in a drama) the point at which the circumstances overcome the central motive, introducing the close or conclusion; dénouement.
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Geology. a sudden, violent disturbance, especially of a part of the surface of the earth; cataclysm.
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Also called catastrophe function. Mathematics. any of the mathematical functions that describe the discontinuities that are treated in catastrophe theory.
noun
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a sudden, extensive, or notable disaster or misfortune
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the denouement of a play, esp a classical tragedy
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a final decisive event, usually causing a disastrous end
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Also called: cataclysm. any sudden and violent change in the earth's surface caused by flooding, earthquake, or some other rapid process
Synonym Usage
See disaster.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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supercatastrophenoun
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catastrophaladjective
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catastrophicadjective
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catastrophicaladjective
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catastrophicallyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of catastrophe
First recorded in 1570–80; from Greek katastrophḗ “an overturning,” from katastréphein “to overturn”; equivalent to cata- + strophe
Explanation
A catastrophe is a disaster. If a wedding reception is disrupted by a fistfight between the bride and her new mother-in-law, you could call the occasion a catastrophe. Catastrophe comes from a Greek word meaning "overturn." It originally referred to the disastrous finish of a drama, usually a tragedy. The definition was extended to mean "any sudden disaster" in the 1700s. Nowadays, catastrophe can be used to refer to very tragic events as well as more minor ones. A hurricane destroying hundreds of homes is certainly a catastrophe; baking a birthday cake without following a recipe might also result in catastrophe, if you don't know anything about cooking.
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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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.
See Examples For:
They are disappointed by a reported margin guidance range of 14.5%-16.5%, but point out that this assumes catastrophe costs are in line with allowance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
"I saw Spain yesterday, and I watched the catastrophe that took place," Trump told a meeting of his cabinet at the presidential Camp David retreat in Maryland.
From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026
Instead, it provides valuable evidence that the underground system responsible for its ancient catastrophe remains active and continues to receive new magma.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 29, 2026
The U.S. acts to foster life-sciences experiments while minimizing the risk of a pandemic or other catastrophe.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Then, the modern age was an age of restoration, after a lengthy period of catastrophe, crisis and collapse.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
Economic losses from natural catastrophes worldwide are estimated to have reached $100 billion in the first half of this year, reinsurance group Swiss Re said Tuesday, a sharp decline from the period last year.
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
"Nature is quite resilient, but it can't cope with catastrophes on this scale over and over again. It won't keep on coming back."
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
Nolan has anchored his “Odyssey” at the fall of the Bronze Age, a once-great era toppled by wealth-hoarding, diminished trade and climate catastrophes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
Colbert has reminded us of our humanity through this administration’s endless string of catastrophes.
From Salon ● May 21, 2026
Some magical catastrophes or accidents are simply too glaringly obvious to be explained away by Muggles without the help of an outside authority.
From "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" by J.K. Rowling
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
