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

Before he was killed by Israel, the group's previous military chief, Mohammed Deif, issued orders that the militant group should adopt a move towards guerrilla tactics and ambushes to mitigate their catastrophic losses.

From BBC

In the world of online crimes, romance scams involving celebrities are far from the most popular, but they can be catastrophic.

From Los Angeles Times

Over the weekend, even before Ragasa had hit the Philippines, the weather department in Guangdong - a hub for Chinese manufacturing - began telling people in the province to prepare for a "catastrophic disaster".

From BBC

Millions could be impacted by the storm, which is expected to move towards northern Vietnam and China's Guangdong, where authorities have said to prepare for a "catastrophic" situation.

From BBC

Still, the collapse of even one steel skyscraper would be catastrophic.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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