1
as in disaster
a sudden violent event that brings about great loss or destruction
more than one natural catastrophe has threatened to destroy their farm over the years
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in failure
something that has failed
the movie was a catastrophe, nearly bankrupting the studio that produced it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for catastrophe
Noun
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More than a year after the disaster, which killed all but two people on board, much is still unclear about why the passenger jet crash landed.—
Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 11 Jan. 2026
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The councilwoman emphasized that every neighborhood in Los Angeles is just one disaster from devastation.—
Noun
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Patients’ failure to take their medicine as prescribed is a major challenge that contributes to hundreds of thousands of preventable deaths and billions of dollars in health care costs annually.—
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Continue reading … SKIDDING TO SAFETY – All plane tires burst on Boeing 767 during harrowing landing failure.—
Noun
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Reactions to this tragedy from friends on social media align completely with their political persuasions.—
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Thirasak Wongsoongnern, a member of staff on the train, told local media outlet Thairath Online, that the train had been traveling at around 74mph when the tragedy occurred, according to the BBC.—
Noun
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Netflix 'The Life of Chuck' Based on the Stephen King novella, director Mike Flanagan's supremely joyous character study – the best movie of 2025 – involves an apocalypse, multiple dance extravaganzas and a haunted attic.—
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That goal is seemingly the only hope for humanity against the decay of everything around them and the increasingly violent nature of many remaining humans (think early Mad Max apocalypse sensibility).—
Noun
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The present-day Red Sox are on the other side of that rebuild, and have no legs on which to stand in this entirely avoidable calamity of losing both Devers and Bregman.—
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We are told that only about 40% of the housing units are now occupied and seldom does a week or so go by without some housing calamity taking place.—
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Cite this Entry
“Catastrophe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/catastrophe. Accessed 19 Jan. 2026.
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