catastrophe

[ kuh-tas-truh-fee ]

noun

1. a sudden and widespread disaster:

   the catastrophe of war.

   Synonyms: calamity, misfortune

   Antonyms: triumph

2. any misfortune, mishap, or failure; fiasco:

   The play was so poor our whole evening was a catastrophe.

3. a final event or conclusion, usually an unfortunate one; a disastrous end:

   the great catastrophe of the Old South at Appomattox.

   Antonyms: triumph

4. (in a drama) the point at which the circumstances overcome the central motive, introducing the close or conclusion; dénouement. Compare catastasis, epitasis, protasis.
5. Geology. a sudden, violent disturbance, especially of a part of the surface of the earth; cataclysm.
6. Also called ca·tas·tro·phe func·tion [k, uh, -, tas, -tr, uh, -fee fuhngk-sh, uh, n]. Mathematics. any of the mathematical functions that describe the discontinuities that are treated in catastrophe theory.

catastrophe

/ kəˈtæstrəfɪ; ˌkætəˈstrɒfɪk /

noun

1. a sudden, extensive, or notable disaster or misfortune
2. the denouement of a play, esp a classical tragedy
3. a final decisive event, usually causing a disastrous end
4. Also calledcataclysm any sudden and violent change in the earth's surface caused by flooding, earthquake, or some other rapid process

Derived Forms

• ˌcataˈstrophically, adverb
• catastrophic, adjective

Other Words From

• cat·a·stroph·ic [kat-, uh, -, strof, -ik], cat·a·stroph·i·cal ca·tas·tro·phal adjective
• su·per·ca·tas·tro·phe noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of catastrophe¹

First recorded in 1570–80; from Greek katastrophḗ “an overturning,” from katastréphein “to overturn”; equivalent to cata- + strophe

Word History and Origins

Origin of catastrophe¹

C16: from Greek katastrophē, from katastrephein to overturn, from strephein to turn

Synonym Study

See disaster.

Example Sentences

"We’re all about sustainability and to achieve that what we really need is the position where we have sporting jeopardy without financial catastrophe."

From BBC

“They are making it impossible to build a reasonably priced car, the unchecked and unbalanced homeless catastrophe, & the cost of EVERYTHING, in particular ‘groceries,’ IS OUT OF CONTROL,” Trump wrote.

From Los Angeles Times

What has befallen the Democratic Party in 2024 is a catastrophe, and it must be understood in those terms.

From Salon

If the party and its larger constituency of supporters fail to understand this as a moment of reckoning — one that demands a fundamental reconsideration of what the Democrats stand for and whom they represent — the catastrophe could prove fatal.

From Salon

“Alone in the face of war on our continent, alone in the face of Putin, alone in the face of the wave of far-right authoritarians sweeping through our nations and the world, alone in the face of the climate catastrophe. Alone.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• accident
• adversity
• calamity
• casualty
• cataclysm
• crash
• debacle
• devastation
• disaster
• emergency
• failure
• fiasco
• hardship
• meltdown
• misery
• mishap
• tragedy
• trouble
• wreck