catastrophic

Sometimes cata·strophi·cal,

[kat-uh-strof-ik]

adjective

1. of the nature of a catastrophe, or disastrous event; calamitous.

   a catastrophic failure of the dam.

Other Word Forms

• catastrophically adverb
• noncatastrophic adjective
• noncatastrophically adverb
• supercatastrophic adjective
• uncatastrophic adjective
• uncatastrophically adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of catastrophic¹

First recorded in 1820–30; from Greek katastrophikós, equivalent to catastroph(e) ( def. ) + -ic ( def. )

Example Sentences

Three thousand species were found to now exist in five places or fewer, making them highly vulnerable to habitat loss, climate change and sudden catastrophic incidents like storms or wildfires, it said.

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Other slopes in the area that had faced catastrophic movement have completely stilled.

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In it, Baroness Hallett said the UK had been "ill-prepared for dealing with a catastrophic emergency, let alone the coronavirus pandemic".

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“And catastrophic wildfires affecting communities in the wildland urban interface can be driven and exacerbated by extreme weather events.”

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“With health care votes ahead, the question is whether Republicans in Congress will join us to prevent catastrophic increases in health insurance premiums.”

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Related Words

• calamitous 
• cataclysmic 
• disastrous 
• fatal 
• ruinous 
• tragic