catastrophe
[ kuh-tas-truh-fee ]
/ kəˈtæs trə fi /
noun
a sudden and widespread disaster: the catastrophe of war.
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.
(in a drama) the point at which the circumstances overcome the central motive, introducing the close or conclusion; dénouement.Compare catastasis, epitasis, protasis.
Geology. a sudden, violent disturbance, especially of a part of the surface of the earth; cataclysm.
Also called catastrophe function. Mathematics. any of the mathematical functions that describe the discontinuities that are treated in catastrophe theory.
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Which of the following animal names traces its immediate origin to Portuguese?
Origin of catastrophe
synonym study for catastrophe
1, 3. See disaster.
OTHER WORDS FROM catastrophe
cat·a·stroph·ic [kat-uh-strof-ik], /ˌkæt əˈstrɒf ɪk/, cat·a·stroph·i·cal, ca·tas·tro·phal, adjectivesu·per·ca·tas·tro·phe, nounWords nearby catastrophe
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for catastrophe
British Dictionary definitions for catastrophe
catastrophe
/ (kəˈtæstrəfɪ) /
noun
a sudden, extensive, or notable disaster or misfortune
the denouement of a play, esp a classical tragedy
a final decisive event, usually causing a disastrous end
Also called: cataclysm any sudden and violent change in the earth's surface caused by flooding, earthquake, or some other rapid process
Derived forms of catastrophe
catastrophic (ˌkætəˈstrɒfɪk), adjectivecatastrophically, adverbWord Origin for catastrophe
C16: from Greek katastrophē, from katastrephein to overturn, from strephein to turn
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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