catastrophe

[kuh-tas-truh-fee]

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.

catastrophe

/ 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

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of catastrophe¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of catastrophe¹

C16: from Greek katastrophē, from katastrephein to overturn, from strephein to turn

Synonym Study

See disaster.

Example Sentences

The KBW analysts wrote that a decline in property catastrophe reinsurance pricing is expected to weigh on its insurance business, while the U.S.-China trade war threatens to weigh on its rail business’s revenue.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

To rectify that catastrophe, Landry took Woodward off the job and recommended the choice of a successor be assigned to someone whose office demands decisions of roughly equal gravity.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

There was relatively little hurricane activity in the period, so catastrophe losses likely will be low.

Read more on Barron's

Jamaica has a catastrophe bond - a type of insurance for the country - which will hopefully allow people to get back on their feet, but the issue is what's done in the interim.

Read more on BBC

The government confronts a cluster of catastrophes on the very topic that is arguably the most visible state failure they are trying to deal with: small boat crossings.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

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