INDEX:
1. a disaster
2. causing a lot of destruction or suffering
RELATED WORDS
see also
↑ ACCIDENT
↑ ENVIRONMENT
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1. a disaster
▷ disaster /dɪˈzɑːstəʳǁdɪˈzæ-/ [countable/uncountable noun]
an extremely bad accident or natural event in which a lot of people are killed :
▪ The disaster killed more than 200 people.
▪ The crash on Monday is the latest in a long line of air disasters in West Africa.
▪ The local people are used to coping with disaster.
natural disaster
caused by wind, rain, or other natural forces
▪ Natural disasters such as floods and earthquakes are common occurrences in California.
▪ The governor said the earthquake was the worst natural disaster to hit India for over 50 years.
disaster area
▪ The Los Alamos area was officially declared a disaster area after the forest fires there in May.
▷ catastrophe /kəˈtæstrəfi/ [countable/uncountable noun]
a terrible event that causes a lot of deaths, damage, and destruction over a wide area :
▪ The blizzard was a catastrophe that affected 17 states, ranging from New Hampshire to Tennessee.
environmental/ecological/nuclear etc catastrophe
▪ Scientists say the oil spill is an ecological catastrophe.
▪ Most people now accept that global warming could result in an environmental catastrophe.
▷ tragedy /ˈtrædʒɪdi, ˈtrædʒədi/ [countable/uncountable noun]
a terrible and very sad event or situation, usually resulting in suffering or death :
▪ Investigators still do not know what caused the tragedy, which killed all 278 people on board.
▪ the worst tragedy in the history of space flight
▪ Unless the world deals with the AIDS threat now, the African continent could suffer ‘a tragedy of historic proportions’.
▷ calamity /kəˈlæmɪti, kəˈlæməti/ [countable/uncountable noun]
a terrible and unexpected event that causes great damage and loss :
▪ Hurricane George was just the latest calamity to hit the state.
▪ The flood was a calamity from which Bangladesh has never fully recovered.
▪ Singh told reporters that he had not seen such human suffering in any previous natural calamity.
2. causing a lot of destruction or suffering
▷ disastrous /dɪˈzɑːstrəsǁdɪˈzæs-/ [adjective]
▪ A disastrous fire destroyed much of the city in the early 1900s.
▪ Much of the damage wrought by the disastrous three-day storm was still apparent.
disastrous consequences
▪ There was a fault in the engine design, which had disastrous consequences.
disastrously [adverb]
go disastrously wrong
▪ Things went disastrously wrong when the craft’s navigational system failed.
▷ catastrophic /ˌkætəˈstrɒfɪk◂ǁ-ˈstrɑː-/ [adjective]
causing terrible destruction and suffering and many deaths, over a wide area :
▪ The flooding was catastrophic, killing hundreds of people and leaving thousands homeless.
▪ The destruction of the world’s rain forests could have a catastrophic influence on the earth’s climate.
▷ tragic /ˈtrædʒɪk/ [adjective]
causing great suffering and sadness :
▪ The President referred to Friday’s air disaster as a ‘tragic loss of life’.
tragically [adverb]
▪ Fourteen schoolchildren were tragically killed in the accident.