catastrophe

catastrophe

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

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. | 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. | We don’t want another nuclear catastrophe like Chernobyl. | 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. | 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. | The team is hoping to do better this game, after last week’s debacle against the Chicago Bears.