as in disastrous
bringing about ruin or misfortune
a catastrophic tornado destroyed the hamlet's only house of worship
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Recent Examples of catastrophic
This is a potentially catastrophic mistake.
—
Ajay Pundhir, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Arena aims to provide value by helping companies to avoid catastrophic machine failures and reduce the effort necessary to complete safety and maintenance.
—Aman Kidwai, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
The new research and the revelation of this white dwarf's imminent catastrophic fate answer questions about V Sagittae that have lingered for 123 years!
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 16 Sep. 2025
In 1988, a catastrophic heat wave and drought plagued the United States, killing thousands of people and triggering over $80 billion in damage.
—Zack Savitsky, Quanta Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025
But his lone big mistake turned out to be catastrophic.
—The Athletic Nfl Staff, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
In the end, the Colts lost any ounce of leverage — and then the Broncos gifted them 15 yards of it to lose in catastrophic fashion.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 15 Sep. 2025
But others immediately began envisioning the catastrophic potentials of the scientific creation of bizarre new forms of biology.
—Thomas Moynihan, Big Think, 15 Sep. 2025
Robust disaster mitigation strategies can also provide an opportunity to safeguard vital industries and maintain economic stability in the face of catastrophic wildfires.
—Karen Collins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Sep. 2025
Ajay Pundhir, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Arena aims to provide value by helping companies to avoid catastrophic machine failures and reduce the effort necessary to complete safety and maintenance.
—Aman Kidwai, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
The new research and the revelation of this white dwarf's imminent catastrophic fate answer questions about V Sagittae that have lingered for 123 years!
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 16 Sep. 2025
In 1988, a catastrophic heat wave and drought plagued the United States, killing thousands of people and triggering over $80 billion in damage.
—Zack Savitsky, Quanta Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025
But his lone big mistake turned out to be catastrophic.
—The Athletic Nfl Staff, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
In the end, the Colts lost any ounce of leverage — and then the Broncos gifted them 15 yards of it to lose in catastrophic fashion.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 15 Sep. 2025
But others immediately began envisioning the catastrophic potentials of the scientific creation of bizarre new forms of biology.
—Thomas Moynihan, Big Think, 15 Sep. 2025
Robust disaster mitigation strategies can also provide an opportunity to safeguard vital industries and maintain economic stability in the face of catastrophic wildfires.
—Karen Collins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for catastrophic
Adjective
-
The effect was disastrous, my hair crimped weirdly, with sections shooting out in different directions like the discordant notes of an orchestra tuning up.—
Rachel Kushner,
New Yorker,
14 Sep. 2025
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The mid-quarter update offered a glimmer of hope after Six Flags’ disastrous second quarter earnings report in August.—
Brady MacDonald,
Oc Register,
12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Prepared Social Feed Posts Automation promises efficiency but can’t accommodate nuance, context or situational changes that a human would change course for (think competitive move, environmental crisis, fatal tragedy, and so on).—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
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Jimmy Kimmel's late-night talk show was suspended indefinitely following the host's comments on the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
17 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Therefore, there are some unfortunate parallels between young Gen Z needing to sacrifice wages due to wavering job opportunities and millennials graduating into the Great Recession.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
16 Sep. 2025
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In today's volatile business climate, layoffs have become an unfortunate reality across industries.—
Caroline Castrillon,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Catastrophic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/catastrophic. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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