catastrophe
Complete utter disaster
A catastrophe is a sudden disaster with severe consequences—a plane crash, an earthquake, a financial collapse.
The word implies not just misfortune but large-scale devastation or ruin.
In casual use, catastrophe often gets applied to lesser setbacks: Forgetting the cake was a catastrophe.
In drama, the catastrophe is the final resolution of a tragedy.
Seismic ground movement
- tsunamiSeismic sea surge
- hurricaneViolent tropical windstorm
- tornadoViolent rotating windstorm
- floodOverwhelming water overflow
wildfire · avalanche · eruption · landslide · typhoon · cyclone · blizzard · drought
Prophesied world's end
- end-timesProphesied concluding era
- extinctionComplete vanishing of a species
- annihilationUtter, complete destruction
- apocalypseTotal civilizational collapse
revelation · prophecy · rapture · omega · eschatology
Serious sudden danger
- meltdownCatastrophic loss of control
- collapseSudden structural failure
- breakdownFailure or decomposition
- flashpointIgnition temperature threshold
brink · precipice · peril · jeopardy · critical · dire · high-stakes · escalation
State of utter confusion
- bedlamState of wild disorder
- turmoilViolent disturbance or confusion
- upheavalViolent disturbance of order
- havocWidespread destruction and chaos
mayhem · disarray · tumult · carnage · shambles · anarchy · frenzy · uproar
Intense sorrow from loss
- mourningPeriod following loss
- bereavementState following loss
- heartbreakCrushing emotional pain
- sorrowDeep emotional distress
anguish · loss · fatality · victim · casualty · misfortune · woe · lamentation
Humiliating public failure
- debacleSudden, complete failure
- blunderFoolish, costly mistake
- misstepError in action or judgment
- setbackReverse in progress
defeat · collapse · bankruptcy · downfall · malfunction · mishap · mismanagement · negligence
earthquake
Seismic ground movement
flood · wildfire · avalanche · eruption · landslide · typhoon · cyclone · blizzard · drought · famine
doomsday
Prophesied world's end
- end-timesProphesied concluding era
- extinctionComplete vanishing of a species
- annihilationUtter, complete destruction
apocalypse · revelation · prophecy · rapture · omega · eschatology
emergency
Serious sudden danger
- meltdownCatastrophic loss of control
- collapseSudden structural failure
- breakdownFailure or decomposition
flashpoint · brink · precipice · peril · jeopardy · critical · dire · high-stakes · escalation · unraveling
pandemonium
State of utter confusion
- bedlamState of wild disorder
- turmoilViolent disturbance or confusion
- upheavalViolent disturbance of order
havoc · mayhem · disarray · tumult · carnage · shambles · anarchy · frenzy · uproar · maelstrom
grief
Intense sorrow from loss
- mourningPeriod following loss
- bereavementState following loss
- heartbreakCrushing emotional pain
sorrow · anguish · loss · fatality · victim · casualty · misfortune · woe · lamentation · devastation
fiasco
Humiliating public failure
setback · defeat · collapse · bankruptcy · downfall · malfunction · mishap · mismanagement · negligence · botched
- doomdoomsday, impending doom, doom and gloom, doomed, sense of doom
- eventsevent, events, party, parties, wedding
- disastersdisaster, earthquake, earthquakes, floods, calamity
- catastrophesdisasters, disaster, natural disasters, apocalypse, calamity
- crisescrisis, emergency, disaster, natural disaster, calamity
- dangersdanger, peril, hazard, risk, menace
catastrophetriviality
Unimportant small matter
inconvenience · hiccup · blip · non-event · trifle
catastrophehappy ending
Story concludes well
triumph · denouement · resolution · redemption · victory
- climate catastropheSevere worldwide environmental breakdown
- catastrophic floodingSevere water overflow causing destruction
- catastrophic eventsSeverely damaging large-scale occurrences
- catastrophic lossSevere irreversible damage
catastrophic, catastrophes, catastrophically, catastrophism, catastrophist, catastrophizing, catastrophize, catastrophizes, catastrophized