1
as in disasters
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 failures
something that has failed
the movie was a catastrophe, nearly bankrupting the studio that produced it
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Recent Examples of catastrophes
There has been no lesson learned and inadequate spending on infrastructure improvements, which would help prevent future catastrophes.
—
Kristine Alessio, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Apr. 2026
At the center of that calculation is the Disaster Relief Fund, FEMA's primary account for responding to catastrophes.
—Nicole Sganga, CBS News, 23 Apr. 2026
But although the two films have imminent solar catastrophes at their core, their approaches to saving the world from extreme global cooling are radically different.
—Richard Edwards, Space.com, 19 Apr. 2026
Shaboozey doesn’t identify as a poli-sci expert but could still acknowledge human-rights catastrophes.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 8 Apr. 2026
In 1941, Japan’s Pearl Harbor surprise attack triggered a nearly 2-year chain of American military catastrophes.
—Gil Troy, New York Daily News, 29 Mar. 2026
But the effects on Qatar’s economy and global energy markets were profound, offering a glimpse of the catastrophes that might follow a broader Iranian military campaign against energy facilities across the Persian Gulf.
—Shane Harris, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2026
With Harry, a personal spiral is only one case away, and as the series begins, there are several percolating catastrophes that might be ready to dovetail in self-destruction.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 25 Mar. 2026
But the invasion of Iraq that brought us into conflict with the Islamic Republic was one of the greatest catastrophes in American foreign policy, and its risks are being repeated now.
—Frederic Wehrey, Time, 24 Mar. 2026
Kristine Alessio, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Apr. 2026
At the center of that calculation is the Disaster Relief Fund, FEMA's primary account for responding to catastrophes.
—Nicole Sganga, CBS News, 23 Apr. 2026
But although the two films have imminent solar catastrophes at their core, their approaches to saving the world from extreme global cooling are radically different.
—Richard Edwards, Space.com, 19 Apr. 2026
Shaboozey doesn’t identify as a poli-sci expert but could still acknowledge human-rights catastrophes.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 8 Apr. 2026
In 1941, Japan’s Pearl Harbor surprise attack triggered a nearly 2-year chain of American military catastrophes.
—Gil Troy, New York Daily News, 29 Mar. 2026
But the effects on Qatar’s economy and global energy markets were profound, offering a glimpse of the catastrophes that might follow a broader Iranian military campaign against energy facilities across the Persian Gulf.
—Shane Harris, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2026
With Harry, a personal spiral is only one case away, and as the series begins, there are several percolating catastrophes that might be ready to dovetail in self-destruction.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 25 Mar. 2026
But the invasion of Iraq that brought us into conflict with the Islamic Republic was one of the greatest catastrophes in American foreign policy, and its risks are being repeated now.
—Frederic Wehrey, Time, 24 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for catastrophes
Noun
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Five worst nuclear reactor disasters 1.—
Kurt Snibbe,
Oc Register,
25 Apr. 2026
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Satellite connectivity can act as a backup during disasters like hurricanes or wildfires.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Yet, these authors and their peers such as Naomi Schaefer Riley continually shrink this extraordinarily complex problem to outcomes only — framing broken families in deeply dark narratives of horror, highlighting failures and demanding accountability.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
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Johnson said the failures cost Stephen Nolte his life.—
Judy L. Thomas,
Kansas City Star,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Based on Thornton Wilder’s The Skin of Our Teeth, the surrealist musical follows one nuclear family across thousands of years and three apocalypses.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
10 Dec. 2025
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And a lot of the pseudepigrapha, like the fake gospels and fake apocalypses, fill in gaps in the record that can serve latter-day, post-biblical purposes.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Recent horrific tragedies have demonstrated the urgent need to improve Cook County’s process for enforcing warrants, too.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Apr. 2026
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Less known, and more uncomfortable, is how some Democrats tend to go silent on the role that demonization from the left can play in these tragedies too.—
Steven Zeitchik,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
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For certain great artists, Meis believes, the creative act is a safe harbor where life’s pressures, exigencies, and calamities aren’t so much denied or resolved as reimagined as pictorial dramas.—
Jed Perl,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
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Colorado went 43-119, a record that belongs in a museum exhibit beside other modern-era calamities, behind glass.—
Jenny Catlin,
New York Times,
25 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Catastrophes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/catastrophes. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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