catastrophic
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
- catastrophically adverb
- noncatastrophic adjective
- noncatastrophically adverb
- supercatastrophic adjective
- uncatastrophic adjective
- uncatastrophically adverb
Etymology
Origin of catastrophic
First recorded in 1820–30; from Greek katastrophikós, equivalent to catastroph(e) ( def. ) + -ic ( def. )
Explanation
Something catastrophic is very harmful or disastrous. When the stock market crashes, it’s a catastrophic event for investors. This is a strong word for terrible, harmful, devastating things. Tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, and tsunamis are catastrophic weather events. A depression is catastrophic for the economy. In sports, if the star player is injured, that's catastrophic for the team. If a parent dies, that's catastrophic for a family. Scientists worry that climate change will have a catastrophic effect on the planet. Catastrophic events are severe and horrific. Stubbing your toe isn’t catastrophic: losing your leg in an accident is.
Vocabulary lists containing catastrophic
Break It Down: Cata
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Vocabulary from the Second Presidential Debate: October 9, 2016
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Life As We Knew It
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Mammals once shared the planet with dinosaurs until a catastrophic event 66 million years ago wiped out about 75% of all life on Earth.
From Science Daily • Apr. 27, 2026
Experts say rising temperatures have also left mountains less stable, unleashing rockfalls and glacial collapse - sometimes triggering catastrophic floods.
From BBC • Apr. 24, 2026
And a catastrophic draft-day fall is not uncommon.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 23, 2026
And if even one of those delicate matters falls through, the catastrophic disruption promulgated by the strait’s closure is likely to last indefinitely.
From Slate • Apr. 17, 2026
They found no sympathy for the misery and terror they’d endured at sea, no appreciation for the fact that they’d kept their heads under fire and prevented a catastrophic war.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
