catastrophic

Everyday

1. Catastrophic means causing terrible damage, harm or suffering; a disaster. tree →
2. Catastrophic is also used for something very bad or a total failure, sometimes with a joking tone. tree →

In the lessons

In geography and science: catastrophic floods, earthquakes, fires and storms; a catastrophic asteroid hit may have ended the dinosaurs. In news and history: catastrophic events and failures. In everyday life people say «catastrophic» to exaggerate («My cake was catastrophic!»).

Examples

• The flood was catastrophic for the town. tree →
• A catastrophic fire destroyed the forest. tree →
• Losing the map would be catastrophic for the explorers. tree →
• My first try at baking bread was catastrophic! tree →
• Scientists warn that some storms can be catastrophic. tree →
• The bridge suffered catastrophic damage in the earthquake. tree →

Note

Noun: catastrophe (pronounced «ka-TAS-tro-fee», four syllables). Adverb: catastrophically. Stronger than «bad» or «serious»; similar to «disastrous». Use it carefully: it means very great harm.