catastrophe
a sudden and widespread disaster: the catastrophe of war.
any misfortune, mishap, or failure; fiasco: The play was so poor our whole evening was a catastrophe.
a final event or conclusion, usually an unfortunate one; a disastrous end: the great catastrophe of the Old South at Appomattox.
(in a drama) the point at which the circumstances overcome the central motive, introducing the close or conclusion; dénouement.: Compare catastasis, epitasis, protasis.
Geology. a sudden, violent disturbance, especially of a part of the surface of the earth; cataclysm.
Also called ca·tas·tro·phe func·tion [kuh-tas-truh-fee fuhngk-shuhn] /kəˈtæs trə fi ˌfʌŋk ʃən/ .Mathematics. any of the mathematical functions that describe the discontinuities that are treated in catastrophe theory.
Origin of catastrophe
1synonym study For catastrophe
Other words for catastrophe
Opposites for catastrophe
Other words from catastrophe
- cat·a·stroph·ic [kat-uh-strof-ik], /ˌkæt əˈstrɒf ɪk/, cat·a·stroph·i·cal, ca·tas·tro·phal, adjective
- su·per·ca·tas·tro·phe, noun
Words Nearby catastrophe
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use catastrophe in a sentence
Both are important, but the focus of this piece is preventing further catastrophe.
Want to fight climate change effectively? Here’s where to donate your money. | Sigal Samuel | September 17, 2020 | VoxThose factors have lead to a surge in trading for catastrophe bonds in the past few days, according to Artemis.
Insurers are getting nervous as Hurricane Laura is set to make landfall as a powerful Category 4 storm | Jeremy Kahn | August 26, 2020 | FortuneWe’ve shown that there are lots of smart, relatively cheap things we can do now to reduce the risk of another catastrophe like this one.
To prevent the next pandemic, we might need to cut down fewer trees | Jonathan Lambert | July 23, 2020 | Science NewsThe public health crisis has led to an economic catastrophe.
A Message to Our Readers on Newsroom Diversity | Voice of San Diego | July 15, 2020 | Voice of San DiegoOnce again the federal government is fumbling its response to a catastrophe that disproportionately affects Black people, and once again officials are using stories about looting to place the blame on Black victims of police violence.
The director left then; he could see the impending catastrophe.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile | Robert Ward | January 3, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTThe 1986 Chernobyl disaster is widely considered to be the greatest nuclear catastrophe in world history.
Chernobyl Drones, Star Wars and More Viral Videos | The Daily Beast Video | November 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIn turn, this economic catastrophe subsequently led to the rise of the Nazi party.
But a Western policy that is blind to the urgent need for reform and justice is certain to end in catastrophe.
Why’s Al Qaeda So Strong? Washington Has (Literally) No idea | Bruce Riedel | November 9, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThis is a critical system that leaves you one failure away from catastrophe, as in this case.
To others the fierce desire for social justice obliterates all fear of a general catastrophe.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice | Stephen LeacockThis may be called the first day of the revolution, although the object of the meeting was to prevent such a catastrophe.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology | Joel MunsellOn one hand is the yawning gulf of social catastrophe represented by socialism.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice | Stephen LeacockTo say that the party looked aghast at this sudden catastrophe, would be to give but a feeble idea of the state of their minds.
The Floating Light of the Goodwin Sands | R.M. BallantyneThe risk of such a catastrophe might perhaps be avoided, if she would consent to leave the stage and live entirely in Russia.
The Life & Letters of Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky | Modeste Tchaikovsky
British Dictionary definitions for catastrophe
/ (kəˈtæstrəfɪ) /
a sudden, extensive, or notable disaster or misfortune
the denouement of a play, esp a classical tragedy
a final decisive event, usually causing a disastrous end
Also called: cataclysm any sudden and violent change in the earth's surface caused by flooding, earthquake, or some other rapid process
Origin of catastrophe
1Derived forms of catastrophe
- catastrophic (ˌkætəˈstrɒfɪk), adjective
- catastrophically, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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