Synonyms for catastrophe
kəˈtæs trə ficatas·tro·phe

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:4.9 / 7 votes

1. catastrophe

   A cataclysm or catastrophe is some great convulsion or momentous event that may or may not be a cause of misery to man. In calamity, or disaster, the thought of human suffering is always present. It has been held by many geologists that numerous catastrophes or cataclysms antedated the existence of man. In literature, the final event of a drama is the catastrophe, or denouement. Misfortune ordinarily suggests less of suddenness and violence than calamity or disaster, and is especially applied to that which is lingering or enduring in its effects. In history, the end of every great war or the fall of a nation is a catastrophe, tho it may not be a calamity. Yet such an event, if not a calamity to the race, will always involve much individual disaster and misfortune. Pestilence is a calamity; a defeat in battle, a shipwreck, or a failure in business is a disaster; sickness or loss of property is a misfortune; failure to meet a friend is a mischance; the breaking of a teacup is a mishap.

   Synonyms:
   calamity, cataclysm, denouement, disaster, mischance, misfortune, mishap, sequel

   Antonyms:
   benefit, blessing, boon, comfort, favor, help, pleasure, privilege, prosperity, success

   Preposition:
   The catastrophe of a play; of a siege; rarely, to a person, etc.

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:4.5 / 4 votes

1. catastrophe

   Synonyms:
   revolution, disaster, calamity, misfortune, misadventure, reverse, blow, visitation

   Antonyms:
   blessing, victory, triumph, felicitation, achievement, ovation, success, godsend

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms:2.0 / 3 votes

1. calamity, catastrophe, disaster, tragedy, cataclysmnoun

   an event resulting in great loss and misfortune

   "the whole city was affected by the irremediable calamity"; "the earthquake was a disaster"

   Synonyms:
   disaster, tragedy, calamity, cataclysm

2. catastrophe, disasternoun

   a state of extreme (usually irremediable) ruin and misfortune

   "lack of funds has resulted in a catastrophe for our school system"; "his policies were a disaster"

   Synonyms:
   disaster, tragedy, calamity, cataclysm

3. catastrophe, cataclysmnoun

   a sudden violent change in the earth's surface

   Synonyms:
   disaster, tragedy, calamity, cataclysm

Matched Categories

1. • Adversity
   • Geological Phenomenon
   • Misfortune

Dictionary of English SynonymesRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. catastrophenoun

   Synonyms:
   upshot, issue, consummation, conclusion, termination, denouement, FINALE, winding up, finishing stroke, final event

2. catastrophenoun

   Synonyms:
   CALAMITY, disaster, misfortune, mishap, mischance

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. catastrophenoun

   Synonyms:
   disaster, calamity

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:0.0 / 0 votes

1. List of paraphrases for "catastrophe":

   disaster, calamity, disasters, tragedy, nakba

How to pronounce catastrophe?

How to say catastrophe in sign language?

Words popularity by usage frequency

How to use catastrophe in a sentence?

1. Donald Trump:

   Every death is a horror -- but if you look at a real catastrophe, like Hurricane Katrina, and you look at the tremendous hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of people that died, and you look at what happened here with, really, a storm that was just totally overpowering -- nobody has ever seen anything like this, everybody around this table and everybody watching can really be very proud of what's taken place in Puerto Rico.

2. James Rauh:

   This is a national emergency. America’s young adults — thousands of unsuspecting Americans — are being poisoned, it is widely known that illicit fentanyl is driving the massive spike in drug-related deaths. A new approach to this catastrophe is needed.

3. Jeremy Farrar:

   It's essential that this new body is accountable and can show leadership in the face of emerging health threats, with the authority and independence to act quickly when needed, the support of the global community is also crucial if we are to avert another catastrophe on the scale of Ebola.

4. Prime Minister Tamam Salam:

   This was a catastrophe that was a result of years and years of neglect.

5. Alexander Matheou:

   We need to act now and we need to act fast to have any hope of containing this human catastrophe, this virus has no respect for borders and these variants are running rampant across Southeast Asia.