disastrous

adjective

di·​sas·​trous di-ˈza-strəs How to pronounce disastrous (audio)
also -ˈsa-
Synonyms of disastrousnext
1
: attended by or causing suffering or disaster : calamitous
a disastrous flood
2
: terrible, horrendous
a disastrous score
disastrously adverb

Synonyms of disastrous

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Examples of disastrous in a Sentence

Half the city was destroyed by a disastrous fire. The bad weather could have a disastrous effect on the area's tourism industry. His failure to back up the computer files had disastrous consequences. The strike was economically disastrous.
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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Following a disastrous 3-14 season, the Jets selected three players in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft. — Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 1 Aug. 2026 Experiments In Offline Dating by Kat Mackenzie Maya Davis travels to Ireland to find love the old-fashioned way for her dating podcast, only to endure the most disastrous blind date of her life with a gruff sheep farmer. — Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 31 July 2026 Being long in the market in the latter case would be a disaster, the longer the more disastrous. — Michael Lynch, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026 The museum replaced him with Sasha Suda, hiring her away from the National Gallery of Canada before sacking her following a disastrous rebrand and replacing her with Weiss, a former president of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. — News Desk, Artforum, 29 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for disastrous

Word History

First Known Use

1594, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of disastrous was in 1594

Browse Nearby Words

disaster strikes
disastrous
disastrously
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Cite this Entry

“Disastrous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disastrous. Accessed 4 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on disastrous

Nglish: Translation of disastrous for Spanish Speakers

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