disastrous

adjective

di·​sas·​trous di-ˈza-strəs How to pronounce disastrous (audio)
also -ˈsa-
Synonyms of disastrous
1
: attended by or causing suffering or disaster : calamitous
a disastrous flood
2
: terrible, horrendous
a disastrous score
disastrously adverb

Synonyms of disastrous

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Examples of disastrous in a Sentence

Half the city was destroyed by a disastrous fire. The bad weather could have a disastrous effect on the area's tourism industry. His failure to back up the computer files had disastrous consequences. The strike was economically disastrous.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Since then, it's been a rocky road for Coach Prime, marked by a disastrous 3-9 campaign in 2025 and a 2-5 start to 2026. — Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 28 Oct. 2026 Years of deferred maintenance and funding fights led to a disastrous series of train delays and track fires in 2017 that came to be known as the Summer of Hell. — New York Times, 28 Oct. 2026 The Environmental Protection Agency's response to the disastrous 2023 East Palestine train derailment will be investigated after local residents of the small town on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border and Vice President JD Vance pressed for the review. — ABC News, 27 Oct. 2026 Particularly compared to their disastrous performance a week ago against the Chicago Bears, this is a much better showing. — AJC.com, 25 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for disastrous

Word History

First Known Use

1594, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of disastrous was in 1594

Browse Nearby Words

disaster strikes
disastrous
disastrously
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Disastrous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disastrous. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

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