catastrophe — a sudden event that causes very great trouble or destruction
Part of speech: NOUN
Definition: a sudden event that causes very great trouble or destruction
Pronunciation (IPA): /kəˈtæstrəfi/
Example Sentences
- My presentation turned into a catastrophe when I accidentally deleted all my slides.
- The company faced a financial catastrophe after the scandal broke.
- Climate change could lead to environmental catastrophes worldwide.
catastrophe
NOUN[/kəˈtæstrəfi/]
a sudden event that causes very great trouble or destruction
The powerful earthquake became a catastrophe that changed the entire city forever.
The cat caused a catastrophe by knocking an irreplaceable trophy off the shelf. (Cat + trophy → catastrophe)
The catastrophe destroyed the championship trophy, but rebuilding together became the team's greatest victory.
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
From Greek 'katastrophē', derived from 'kata-' (down) and 'strephein' (to turn). The word originally referred to the final event in a Greek drama, later generalized to mean any sudden, disastrous turn of events.
Breakdown
kata- (down) + streph- (turn) + -e (noun ending) = catastrophe
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“My presentation turned into a catastrophe when I accidentally deleted all my slides.”
“The company faced a financial catastrophe after the scandal broke.”
“Climate change could lead to environmental catastrophes worldwide.”
“His attempt at cooking dinner was a complete catastrophe - even the smoke alarm joined the chorus!”
📚Related Words
Synonyms
Antonyms
Related
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