catastrophic
English · Thesaurus
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catastrophic
- /kætəˈstɹɒfɪk/ UK
- /ˌkætəˈstɹɑfɪk/
- [ˌkæɾəˈstɹɑfɪk]
- /ˌkætəˈstɹɒfɪk/ Boston, Canada, Maine
- [ˌkæɾəˈstɹɒfɪk] Boston, Canada, Maine
- /kætəˈstɹɔfɪk/ Australia
- [kæɾəˈstɹɔfɪk] Australia
Rhymes with -ɒfɪk
Where it comes from
Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek καταστροφικός (katastrophikós). By surface analysis, catastrophe + -ic.
adjective more catastrophic · most catastrophic
- Of or pertaining to a catastrophe.
- Disastrous; ruinous. The reason why Jon & Kate Plus 8 is such a hot topic is because it might all be a sham. It’s been claimed that Jon has a string of mistresses, that Kate had an affair with her bodyguard and that Baby Number Six is actually a shaved Ewok with a catastrophic heroin addiction. Or something.
- From which recovery is impossible. catastrophic failure
Similar: catastrophal · Opposite: anastrophic
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: ruinous, harmful, cataclysmic, disaster, calamitous, disastrous, worst-case, devastating, deadly, lethal, destructive, pernicious, damaging, detrimental, abject, dismal
adjective
Similar: catastrophal · Opposite: anastrophic
Translations
Every language
adj of or pertaining to a catastrophe
| Español | catastrófico |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 災難的 /灾难的 zāinàn de, 災難性的 /灾难性的 zāinànxìng de |
| Português | catastrófico |
| Français | catastrophique |
| Deutsch | Katastrophen- |
| Română | catastrofic, catastrofal |
| Русский | катастрофи́ческий katastrofíčeskij, катастрофи́чный katastrofíčnyj |
adj disastrous; ruinous
| Español | catastrófico, desastroso |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 비참한 bichamhan |
| 中文 | 招致大禍的 /招致大祸的 zhāozhì dàhuò de, 悲慘的 /悲惨的 bēicǎn de |
| Português | catastrófico |
| Français | catastrophique, désastreux |
| Deutsch | katastrophal |
| Română | catastrofic, dezastruos |
| Русский | катастрофи́ческий katastrofíčeskij, бе́дственный bédstvennyj, ги́бельный gíbelʹnyj |
Talk about this word "catastrophic." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/catastrophic. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. catastrophic. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/catastrophic "catastrophic." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/catastrophic.Cite this
@misc{catastrophic_2026,
title = {catastrophic},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/catastrophic},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
