disaster

noun

di·​sas·​ter di-ˈza-stər How to pronounce disaster (audio) -ˈsa- How to pronounce disaster (audio)
plural disasters
Synonyms of disasternext
1
: a sudden calamitous event bringing great damage, loss, or destruction
natural disasters
2
: someone or something that is very bad: such as
a
: someone or something that is extremely unsuccessful
The wedding reception was a complete disaster.
Brilliant at maths and languages, she was a disaster in physical education …—Derek Scally
b
: someone or something that has a very bad effect or result
The new coach was a disaster for the team.
"… for the average person, when unemployment strikes, it is a disaster for them. …"—Peggy Nash
The Battle of Fort Washington took place at the north end of Manhattan Island. It was an unmitigated disaster.—John F. Di Leo
It can be tough to tell, though, whether an investment is solid or a financial disaster waiting to happen.—Katie Brockman
… the police chief … warned colleagues of the potential for a deadly accident. And … the editor of a major … magazine said it was a recipe for disaster.—Patrick Kingsley
These negative reviews aren't the end of the world, but they can spell disaster for your business unless you know how to properly respond.—Amine Rahal
c
: someone who is in a very agitated emotional state : wreck
"… I cried like a baby and kind of had a breakdown. I really just lost it. The weekend after we wrapped, I was a disaster. …"—Alex Borstein
d
: someone or something that is in a very disordered state or condition : mess
The house is a complete disaster.
I got caught in the rain and showed up looking like a disaster.
3
obsolete, occult : an unfavorable aspect (see aspect sense 2a) of a planet or star

Did you know?

Disaster has its roots in the belief that the positions of stars influence the fate of humans, often in destructive ways; its original meaning in English was "an unfavorable aspect of a planet or star." The word comes to us through Middle French and the Old Italian word disastro, from the Latin prefix dis- and Latin astro, meaning "star." Another unfortunate word that comes to us from astrological beliefs is "ill-starred." Now generally used in the sense of "unlucky" or "having or destined to a hapless fate," "ill-starred" was originally used literally to describe someone born under or guided by an evil star. We also have star-crossed, meaning "not favored by the stars" or "ill-fated."

Synonyms

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 

Examples of disaster in a Sentence

The program examined several bridge failures and other engineering disasters. The new regulations could be a disaster for smaller businesses. They're trying to find a way to avoid disaster. The dinner party was a complete disaster.
Recent Examples on the Web Tracking suggests the film, starring Adam Driver, may only earn $5 million to $7 million in what would be a financial disaster for project, which cost $120 million to produce before marketing. —Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Sep. 2024 Not even the Baltimore bridge disaster broke its stride. —USA TODAY, 25 Sep. 2024 Practicing response to incidents is something that most people are already familiar with through drills for fires, floods, earthquakes and other disasters. —Robert Harrison, Forbes, 24 Sep. 2024 The Florida Division of Emergency Management's Know Your Zone map allows residents to input their address and learn their evacuation route in case of flooding or other disaster. —CBS News, 24 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for disaster 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'disaster.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle French & Old Italian; Middle French desastre, from Old Italian disastro, from dis- (from Latin) + astro star, from Latin astrum — more at astral

First Known Use

1567, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of disaster was in 1567

Phrases Containing disaster

Podcast

Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP

Dictionary Entries Near disaster

disassociate

disaster

disaster area

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Disaster.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disaster. Accessed 8 Oct. 2024.

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Kids Definition

disaster

noun
di·​sas·​ter diz-ˈas-tər How to pronounce disaster (audio) dis- How to pronounce disaster (audio)
: a sudden great misfortune
especially : something (as a flood or tornado) that happens suddenly and causes much suffering or loss
disastrous
-ˈas-trəs
adjective
disastrously adverb
Etymology

from early French desastre and early Italian disastro, both meaning "an unfavorable position of a star," from early Italian dis- (negative prefix) and astro "star," from Latin astrum "star"

Word Origin
People who have bad luck are sometimes said to be "star-crossed." This expression comes from the traditional belief that the positions of the stars and planets can have a direct influence on earthly events. The origins of the word disaster can be traced to this belief. Disaster comes from disastro, an Italian word formed by combining the negative prefix dis- and the noun astro, meaning "star." Disaster at first meant "an unfavorable position of a star or planet." In time it came to be applied to the kind of terrible misfortune which such a position was thought to cause.

More from Merriam-Webster on disaster

Nglish: Translation of disaster for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of disaster for Arabic Speakers

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