catastrophe[noun]Synonyms: disaster, adversity, calamity, cataclysm, fiasco, misfortune, tragedy, trouble
English Thesaurus: disaster, catastrophe, tragedy, debacle, earthquake, ... [TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲
ca‧tas‧tro‧phe /kəˈtæstrəfi/
noun[
Date: 1500-1600;
Language: Greek;
Origin: katastrephein 'to turn upside down', from kata- ( ⇒ cataclysm) + strephein 'to turn']
1. [uncountable and countable] a terrible event in which there is a lot of destruction, suffering, or death
Synonym : disasterenvironmental/nuclear/economic etc catastrophe
The Black Sea is facing ecological catastrophe as a result of pollution.prevent/avert a catastrophe Sudan requires food immediately to avert a humanitarian catastrophe.2. [countable] an event which is very bad for the people involved
Synonym : disastercatastrophe for If the contract is cancelled, it’ll be a catastrophe for everyone concerned.—catastrophic /ˌkætəˈstrɒfɪk◂ $ -ˈstrɑː-/
adjective:
a catastrophic fall in the price of rice The failure of the talks could have catastrophic consequences.—catastrophically /-kli/
adverb [TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲
disaster a sudden event such as an accident, or a natural event such as a flood or storm, which causes great damage or suffering:
200 people died in the train disaster. The earthquake was the worst natural disaster to hit India for over 50 years.catastrophe a terrible event in which there is a lot of destruction, damage, suffering, or death over a wide area of the world:
A large comet hitting the earth would be a catastrophe. We don’t want another nuclear catastrophe like Chernobyl. Scientists say that the oil spill is an ecological catastrophe.tragedy a very sad event, that shocks people because it involves death:
It was a tragedy that he died so young. the AIDS tragedy in Africadebacle an event or situation that is a complete failure and is very embarrassing:
The opening ceremony turned into a debacle. The team is hoping to do better this game, after last week’s debacle against the Chicago Bears.earthquake a sudden shaking of the earth’s surface that often causes a lot of damage:
A powerful earthquake struck the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. It was the biggest earthquake to hit the Pacific Northwest for 52 years.flood a very large amount of water that covers an area that is usually dry:
Bangladesh has been hit by a series of devastating floods (=very bad floods). The crisis began with floods that covered one third of the countryside.drought a long period of dry weather when there is not enough water for plants and animals to live:
The country experienced its worst drought this century. In East Africa, three years of drought have left 10 million people in urgent need of food and water.famine a situation in which a large number of people have little or no food for a long time and many people die:
Poor harvests led to famine. 4,000,000 people are threatened by famine in northern Ethiopia.hurricane a storm that has very strong fast winds and that moves over water – used about storms in the North Atlantic Ocean:
extreme weather such as hurricanes Hurricane Andrew left southern Florida in ruins.typhoon a violent tropical storm – used about storms in the Western Pacific Ocean:
A typhoon has hit the Philippines, lifting roofs off houses and uprooting trees.tsunami a very large wave, caused by extreme conditions such as an earthquake, which can cause a lot of damage when it reaches land:
Thousands of people were killed in the tsunami. Many Pacific earthquakes have generated tsunamis. [TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲