catastrophe

American  

[kuh-tas-truh-fee] / kəˈtæs trə fi /

noun

1. a sudden and widespread disaster.

   the catastrophe of war.

   Synonyms:

   calamity, misfortune

   Antonyms:

   triumph

2. any misfortune, mishap, or failure; fiasco.

   The play was so poor our whole evening was a catastrophe.

3. a final event or conclusion, usually an unfortunate one; a disastrous end.

   the great catastrophe of the Old South at Appomattox.

   Antonyms:

   triumph

4. (in a drama) the point at which the circumstances overcome the central motive, introducing the close or conclusion; dénouement.

5. Geology. a sudden, violent disturbance, especially of a part of the surface of the earth; cataclysm.

6. Also called catastrophe function.  Mathematics. any of the mathematical functions that describe the discontinuities that are treated in catastrophe theory.

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catastrophe British  

/ kəˈtæstrəfɪ, ˌkætəˈstrɒfɪk /

noun

1. a sudden, extensive, or notable disaster or misfortune

2. the denouement of a play, esp a classical tragedy

3. a final decisive event, usually causing a disastrous end

4. Also called: cataclysm.  any sudden and violent change in the earth's surface caused by flooding, earthquake, or some other rapid process

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Related Words

See disaster.

Other Word Forms

• catastrophal adjective
• catastrophic adjective
• catastrophical adjective
• catastrophically adverb
• supercatastrophe noun

Etymology

Origin of catastrophe

First recorded in 1570–80; from Greek katastrophḗ “an overturning,” from katastréphein “to overturn”; equivalent to cata- + strophe

Example Sentences

What we have, instead, is a Parisian pageant, energetically rearranging how some things looked in a few precious years between the catastrophes of the two world wars.

From The Wall Street Journal

The “Call the Midwife Holiday Special 2025,” like its many predecessors, is humming with catastrophe, a virtual Santa’s workshop of traumatic events.

From The Wall Street Journal

In most years, these are among the costliest catastrophes for insurers.

From The Wall Street Journal

In Hollywood depictions of catastrophe, people tend to panic, scream and clog the exits.

From The Wall Street Journal

This included during the onset of the pandemic, an erratically unfolding and socially fracturing catastrophe about which, naturally, Erikson had lots to say.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• accident
• adversity
• calamity
• casualty
• cataclysm
• crash
• debacle
• devastation
• disaster
• emergency
• failure
• fiasco
• hardship
• meltdown
• misery
• mishap
• tragedy
• trouble
• wreck