disaster
Americannoun
-
disasters
plural
-
a calamitous event, especially one occurring suddenly and causing great loss of life, damage, or hardship, as a flood, airplane crash, or business failure.
- Synonyms:
- affliction, adversity, reverse, blow, accident, mishap, misadventure, misfortune, mischance
-
Obsolete. an unfavorable aspect of a star or planet.
noun
-
an occurrence that causes great distress or destruction
-
a thing, project, etc, that fails or has been ruined
Synonym Usage
Disaster, calamity, catastrophe, cataclysm refer to adverse happenings often occurring suddenly and unexpectedly. A disaster may be caused by carelessness, negligence, bad judgment, or the like, or by natural forces, as a hurricane or flood: a railroad disaster. Calamity suggests great affliction, either personal or general; the emphasis is on the grief or sorrow caused: the calamity of losing a child. Catastrophe refers especially to the tragic outcome of a personal or public situation; the emphasis is on the destruction or irreplaceable loss: the catastrophe of a defeat in battle. Cataclysm, physically an earth-shaking change, refers to a personal or public upheaval of unparalleled violence: a cataclysm that turned his life in a new direction.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of disaster
First recorded in 1585–95; from Middle French desastre, from Italian disastro, from dis- dis- 1 + astro “star” (from Latin astrum, from Greek ástron )
Explanation
An earthquake, an oil spill, an economic collapse, a party with inedible food and truly awful music: Each of these could be described as a disaster, a cataclysmic event causing extreme suffering, even total destruction. Disaster made its way into the English language from Greek. The second part of the word is derived from astron — "star" or "planet," familiar from words like astronomy and astronaut. Dis- is prefix with a meaning similar to "un-" or "mis-," but with clearly negative connotations. Translated literally, disaster means "bad or unlucky star," and it's a relic of a time when astrology was considered a serious science that could predict events — including disasters you might try to avoid — in your life on Earth!
Vocabulary lists containing disaster
Did You Planet? Words With Surprisingly Spacey Origins
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Oh, My Stars! A Solstice Sampler
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Calamity, Catastrophe, and Crisis: Disaster Words
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
Lamichhane said he fears he has also lost many more friends and neighbours in the disaster as well as his brother, uncle and cousin.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
Scientists believe the disaster was likely triggered when part of a glacier in the Langtang Lirung mountain area fell off at around 16,000 feet.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
In Tibet, Chinese state media said that the "mudslide disaster" had killed three people, while 558 people, including 260 foreigners, were missing.
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
Barun Lamichhane, 26, said his brother, uncle and cousin all died in the disaster - but that his mother, father and grandmother managed to escape.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
After all, she apparently couldn’t leave for more than five minutes without Molly breaking rules and making a mess of things, or Boaz flirting with disaster.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
It has also donated to the Salvation Army and helped the victims of several disasters in Tennessee.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
China's President Xi Jinping is urging "all-out" search efforts for the missing, as well as stronger monitoring and early warning systems to prevent secondary disasters.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
Two state lawmakers want cold storage companies to take care of local communities after industrial disasters.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
They could be used by the military, for remote communities or following natural disasters.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
She remembers reports of how, during disasters, nursing homes are among the hardest hit.
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
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.
