a sudden and widespread disaster: the catastrophe of war.
any misfortune, mishap, or failure; fiasco: The play was so poor our whole evening was a catastrophe.
a final event or conclusion, usually an unfortunate one; a disastrous end:the great catastrophe of the Old South at Appomattox.
(in a drama) the point at which the circumstances overcome the central motive, introducing the close or conclusion; dénouement.Compare catastasis, epitasis, protasis.
Geology. a sudden, violent disturbance, especially of a part of the surface of the earth; cataclysm.
Also called catastrophe function.Mathematics. any of the mathematical functions that describe the discontinuities that are treated in catastrophe theory.
Origin of catastrophe
1570–80; <Greek katastrophḗ an overturning, akin to katastréphein to overturn. See cata-, strophe
Both are important, but the focus of this piece is preventing further catastrophe.
Want to fight climate change effectively? Here’s where to donate your money.|Sigal Samuel|September 17, 2020|Vox
Those factors have lead to a surge in trading for catastrophe bonds in the past few days, according to Artemis.
Insurers are getting nervous as Hurricane Laura is set to make landfall as a powerful Category 4 storm|Jeremy Kahn|August 26, 2020|Fortune
We’ve shown that there are lots of smart, relatively cheap things we can do now to reduce the risk of another catastrophe like this one.
To prevent the next pandemic, we might need to cut down fewer trees|Jonathan Lambert|July 23, 2020|Science News
The public health crisis has led to an economic catastrophe.
A Message to Our Readers on Newsroom Diversity|Voice of San Diego|July 15, 2020|Voice of San Diego
Once again the federal government is fumbling its response to a catastrophe that disproportionately affects Black people, and once again officials are using stories about looting to place the blame on Black victims of police violence.
Everything Our Editors Loved in June|The Editors|July 8, 2020|Outside Online
But a Western policy that is blind to the urgent need for reform and justice is certain to end in catastrophe.
Why’s Al Qaeda So Strong? Washington Has (Literally) No idea|Bruce Riedel|November 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This is a critical system that leaves you one failure away from catastrophe, as in this case.
Can Anyone Make Space Safe for Civilians?|Clive Irving|November 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
An independent Scotland would be a catastrophe as a country.
Up to a Point: A Free Scotland Would Be a Hilarious Disaster|P. J. O’Rourke|September 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
State officials, military and aviation experts in both countries hurried to shift the blame for the catastrophe.
MH17 Black Box ‘Sent to Moscow for Investigation’|Anna Nemtsova|July 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This is, in every conceivable way, a recipe for catastrophe.
Why the Caliphate Will Devour Its Children|Philip Jenkins|July 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Captain Burgoyne was on deck when the catastrophe happened, remaining there as the night grew stormy.
Grace Darling|Eva Hope
She could wait to tell him all about the catastrophe when he returned to Milton.
The Corner House Girls' Odd Find|Grace Brooks Hill
I had never experienced the like before, and I felt sure some catastrophe would happen.
Autobiography of an Electron|Charles R. (Charles Robert) Gibson
Since the catastrophe on board the steamer, he had forgotten Doctor Glyphic.
Idolatry|Julian Hawthorne
It is safe to say that anyone who has once gone through such a catastrophe will have no desire to repeat it.
Bert Wilson, Marathon Winner|J. W. Duffield
British Dictionary definitions for catastrophe
catastrophe
/ (kəˈtæstrəfɪ) /
noun
a sudden, extensive, or notable disaster or misfortune
the denouement of a play, esp a classical tragedy
a final decisive event, usually causing a disastrous end
Also called: cataclysmany sudden and violent change in the earth's surface caused by flooding, earthquake, or some other rapid process