ca ‧ tas ‧ tro ‧ phe /kəˈtæstrəfi/ BrE AmE noun
[ Date: 1500-1600 ; Language: Greek ; Origin: katastrephein 'to turn upside down' , from kata- ( ⇨ ↑ cataclysm ) + strephein 'to turn' ]
1 . [uncountable and countable] a terrible event in which there is a lot of destruction, suffering, or death SYN disaster
environmental/nuclear/economic etc catastrophe
The Black Sea is facing ecological catastrophe as a result of pollution.
prevent/avert a catastrophe
Sudan requires food immediately to avert a humanitarian catastrophe.
2 . [countable] an event which is very bad for the people involved SYN disaster
catastrophe for
If the contract is cancelled, it’ll be a catastrophe for everyone concerned.
—catastrophic /ˌkætəˈstrɒfɪk◂ $ -ˈstrɑː-/ adjective :
a catastrophic fall in the price of rice
The failure of the talks could have catastrophic consequences.
—catastrophically /-kli/ adverb
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THESAURUS
▪ disaster a sudden event such as an accident, or a natural event such as a flood or storm, which causes great damage or suffering:
200 people died in the train disaster.
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The earthquake was the worst natural disaster to hit India for over 50 years.
▪ catastrophe a terrible event in which there is a lot of destruction, damage, suffering, or death over a wide area of the world:
A large comet hitting the earth would be a catastrophe.
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We don’t want another nuclear catastrophe like Chernobyl.
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Scientists say that the oil spill is an ecological catastrophe.
▪ tragedy a very sad event, that shocks people because it involves death:
It was a tragedy that he died so young.
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the AIDS tragedy in Africa
▪ debacle an event or situation that is a complete failure and is very embarrassing:
The opening ceremony turned into a debacle.
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The team is hoping to do better this game, after last week’s debacle against the Chicago Bears.