disaster Hear it!

disaster Definition

dis·as·ter (di zas′tər, -zäs′-; also dis as′-, -äs′-)

noun

any happening that causes great harm or damage; serious or sudden misfortune; calamity

Etymology: OFr desastre < It disastro < L dis- + astrum < Gr astron (see astral), star: from astrological notions: cf. ill-starred

disaster Synonyms

disaster

n.

catastrophe, accident, calamity, misfortune, mishap, debacle, cataclysm, casualty, mischance, emergency, adversity, harm, misadventure, collapse, slip, fall, collision, crash, hazard, crash landing, setback, defeat, sinking, flood, failure, holocaust, affliction, fell stroke, woe, trouble, scourge, depression, grief, bale, undoing, overthrow, bad luck, ill luck, ruination, bane, fiasco, curse, tragedy, blight, visitation, contretemps, exigency, infliction, extremity, downfall, evil day, rainy day, crushing reverse, great mishap, terrible accident, gathering clouds, sudden misfortune, adverse happening, bankruptcy, upset, blast, blow, comedown, fire, blaze, wreck, cave-in, act of God, crackup, smashup, washout*, flop*, bust*, hard luck*; see also catastrophe, collision 1, misfortune 1.

disaster implies great or sudden misfortune that results in loss of life, property, etc. or that is ruinous to an undertaking; calamity suggests a grave misfortune that brings deep distress or sorrow to an individual or to the people at large; catastrophe is specifically applied to a disastrous end or outcome; cataclysm suggests a great upheaval, esp. a political or social one, that causes sudden and violent change with attending distress, suffering, etc.

disaster Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • avert: Averting disaster in advance brings humanity to rise to its full stature, by choice: itself a major evolutionary step.
  • spell: A weak link in the chain can spell disaster.
  • loom: Awareness of a looming disaster was triggered by Rachel Carson's 1962 book Silent Spring.

Adjective modifier

  • natural: Natural disasters have been causing lots of problems recently.
  • humanitarian: The humanitarian disaster following an invasion may seem almost unimaginable in its scale.
  • unmitigated: For the exploiting classes globally the October Revolution was an unmitigated disaster.
  • man-made: Natural or man-made disasters can prove devastating for an unprepared business.
  • impending: Suppose those to be effected have no plans to deal with impending disaster?
  • ecological: The implication is that Kyoto is good coin and if put into effect can actually prevent an ecological disaster.

Modifies a noun

  • recovery: For instance a disaster recovery plan will only ever be used in the event of a disaster.
  • preparedness: BGS translated mission-critical Web site content related to disaster preparedness.
  • relief: Simultaneous contingencies may include: Disaster relief for nuclear accident.
  • strike: Disaster strikes: a plague among the Outsiders in the underground tunnels.
  • Strike: Before Disaster Strikes Sarah La Trobe outlines why NGOs should think more about incorporating disaster risk reduction in development work.

Noun used with modifier

  • tsunami: As we have seen with the recent tsunami disaster, when tragedy strikes, its impacts are felt far and wide.
  • b-line: SATURDAY Tonight we were going to the Barfly in Camden for MTV2 Gonzo On Tour featuring The 80s Matchbox B-Line Disaster.
  • earthquake: In 561 it experienced a second earthquake disaster and in the 6 th century was hit with a major plague epidemic.
  • mining: In Devon, Dartmoor prison built In Parliament: Series of mining disasters lead to the Coal mines inspection act.
  • shuttle: The second example concerns the Challenger space shuttle disaster in the ' 80s.
  • WTC: I really don't know what to make of the three above mentioned references to the WTC disaster.

Browse dictionary entries near disaster

  1. ‹ disassociate
  2. ‹ disassemble
  3. ‹ disarticulate
  4. ‹ disarray
  5. ‹ disarrange
  6. ‹ disarming
  7. ‹ disarmament
  8. ‹ disarm
  9. ‹ disapprove
  10. ‹ disapproval
  1. disastrous ›
  2. disavow ›
  3. disband ›
  4. disbar ›
  5. disbarment ›
  6. disbelief ›
  7. disbelieve ›
  8. disbeliever ›
  9. disbud ›
  10. disburden ›