disaster
- noun
- /dɪˈzæstər/
- I mean, so yeah, COVID was an unmitigated disaster for everyone.
- a natural disaster
- disaster management
- disaster recovery
So the speech was a disaster, a disaster.
- So the speech was a disaster, a disaster.
- You know, we call them natural disasters, but that's not correct.
- They know this is an economic disaster created by Trump.
- So I, I don't think this disaster is as terrible as it seems.
- We have a huge humanitarian disaster brewing in Bosnia.
- I mean, so yeah, COVID was an unmitigated disaster for everyone.
- I lost everything from a disaster like this.
- It's things like ambition, madness, disaster, those kind of things.
- So this guy is a disaster train wreck.
Examples
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After the fire engulfed the building, the damage was described as a total disaster.
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It's one of the worst natural disasters in human history.
-
However, we know little about how older residents respond when a natural disaster destroys their community.
Academic text (2011) -
Countless other communities have been destroyed by natural disasters, but they have recovered much more quickly.
Academic text (2011) -
In 2005, Hurricane Katrina was one of the most devastating natural disasters in recent U.S. history.
Academic text (2011) -
The earthquake was a major disaster that left the city in ruins.
-
The shipwreck off the coast was a tragic disaster for all on board.
Synonyms
A very sad event that causes much suffering and loss
Loss of the ability to work, especially of an organ or machine
A sudden terrible event that causes great damage and suffering
A sudden total failure that causes serious damage to a system
Great destruction that leaves places badly damaged, for example after a war or storm
A complete embarrassing failure that happens suddenly and causes big problems
A sudden complete failure that causes public embarrassment or big loss
A terrible event that causes much harm and suffering
A sudden violent event that causes great destruction or change
A very large, messy situation that is hard to fix
A situation that is a total failure causing big problems
Antonyms
Idioms
Compounds
Help people and communities get after a disaster, such as food, shelter and medical care
How Severe
- Literature
Surface Forms
Etymology
Disaster comes from old parts dis- 'bad' and astrum 'star', because people once thought a bad star brought bad luck; a 'disaster' was an event caused by unlucky stars, so today the word means a sudden, very bad event.