catastrophe
catastrophe Lexical Profile
catastrophe Game Scores & Validity
• noun
An event causing great and usually sudden damage, destruction, or suffering; a major disaster.
"The oil spill was an environmental catastrophe that affected marine life for decades."
A complete and utter failure or fiasco.
"The company's poorly planned product launch turned into a financial catastrophe."
The final resolution or denouement of the plot in a dramatic work, especially a classical tragedy.
"In classical Greek drama, the catastrophe inevitably follows the hero's tragic reversal of fortune."
• Rhymes for catastrophe
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the mid-16th century from Latin catastropha, from Ancient Greek katastrophē ('an overturning, a sudden end'), derived from kata- ('down') and strephein ('to turn'). It originally referred to the final resolution of a Greek tragedy before broadening to mean any sudden disaster.