noun
catastrophe
kuh-TAST-ruh-fee
noun
1
A sudden, large-scale disaster with severe consequences.
"The oil spill was an environmental catastrophe."
"Losing the harvest would be a catastrophe for the whole village."
How to Use Catastrophe
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA disaster on a major scale, often used for dramatic effect even in everyday speech.
Common pairings
natural catastrophe
avert a catastrophe
on the brink of catastrophe
Word Forms
catastrophes plural
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The oil spill was an environmental _____.
Etymology
From Ancient Greek katastrophe, "an overturning," from kata- ("down") plus strephein ("to turn").