1
as in catastrophes
a sudden violent event that brings about great loss or destruction
hurricanes are natural disasters
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in failures
something that has failed
an utter disaster, the play opened and closed on the same miserable night
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of disasters
Severe weather disasters that result in damage of at least $1 billion now average 23 per year and have doubled since the 2010s, according to Bank of America.
—
Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 24 Mar. 2025
Heroes protect people and society from accidents, disasters, and villains—criminals who use their Quirks for evil.
—Kevin Sabet, Newsweek, 24 Mar. 2025
Before the Eaton Fire, Wright had taken a course in earthquake response, but not the other types of disasters now regularly whipping California.
—Christine Ro, Forbes, 22 Mar. 2025
This is a challenge in general following disasters, as attention wanes.
—Christine Ro, Forbes, 22 Mar. 2025
Since 2021, she's stood on the frontlines of the organizations response and recovery efforts to devastating disasters including the Los Angeles wildfires and the hurricanes that ripped through the south in 2024.
—Karissa Waddick, USA TODAY, 28 Feb. 2025
By studying these vitrified remains, scientists can gain a deeper understanding of how intense heat affects biological tissues, further informing research into past and future volcanic disasters.
—Srishti Gupta, Interesting Engineering, 27 Feb. 2025
Rejection or disregard of science has led to famines, flooding, and environmental disasters, with the death tolls from various events rising into the millions.
—Big Think, 27 Feb. 2025
Meanwhile, some states, like Florida and Tennessee, are enduring back-to-back disasters, with communities barely having time to recover before the next crisis.
—Lynette Bell, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2025
Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 24 Mar. 2025
Heroes protect people and society from accidents, disasters, and villains—criminals who use their Quirks for evil.
—Kevin Sabet, Newsweek, 24 Mar. 2025
Before the Eaton Fire, Wright had taken a course in earthquake response, but not the other types of disasters now regularly whipping California.
—Christine Ro, Forbes, 22 Mar. 2025
This is a challenge in general following disasters, as attention wanes.
—Christine Ro, Forbes, 22 Mar. 2025
Since 2021, she's stood on the frontlines of the organizations response and recovery efforts to devastating disasters including the Los Angeles wildfires and the hurricanes that ripped through the south in 2024.
—Karissa Waddick, USA TODAY, 28 Feb. 2025
By studying these vitrified remains, scientists can gain a deeper understanding of how intense heat affects biological tissues, further informing research into past and future volcanic disasters.
—Srishti Gupta, Interesting Engineering, 27 Feb. 2025
Rejection or disregard of science has led to famines, flooding, and environmental disasters, with the death tolls from various events rising into the millions.
—Big Think, 27 Feb. 2025
Meanwhile, some states, like Florida and Tennessee, are enduring back-to-back disasters, with communities barely having time to recover before the next crisis.
—Lynette Bell, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disasters
Noun
-
Those cuts have been felt in the meager US response to the Myanmar quake, according to experts, exposing a void in international relief measures for major catastrophes.—
Rebecca Wright,
CNN Money,
10 Apr. 2025
-
The ongoing civil war has caused one of the world’s worst humanitarian catastrophes and diplomatic efforts to bring the conflict to an end have failed.—
Nadeen Ebrahim,
CNN Money,
10 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
As the fallout from this incident continues, the scandal has revealed significant failures of basic security principles that everyone should be aware of — but that White House cabinet members and government officials should absolutely abide by.—
Tony Bradley,
Forbes.com,
29 Mar. 2025
-
Despite previous test failures and skepticism from space experts, Musk remains confident about his timeline.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
28 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
The biggest disappointments this season involve Roby Jarventie not getting a recall, but that was due to injury.—
Allan Mitchell,
New York Times,
11 Apr. 2025
-
Chief among the disappointments was the penalty shootout defeat by League Two Colchester United in 2019-20.—
Elias Burke,
New York Times,
10 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Violence was entrenched as a byproduct of a government that ignored the tragedies faced by those like Shirley Vasquez and her neighbors.—
Cary Goodman,
New York Daily News,
5 Jan. 2025
-
In 1997, Peart was hit with the first of a double blast of tragedies.—
William Roberson,
Forbes,
4 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Like the tragedy of the recent California wildfires as well as so many other calamities of our time, each one impacts us all to one degree or another.—
Michael B. Teiger,
Hartford Courant,
31 Jan. 2025
-
Everyone in the audience laughed when the capybara first appeared onscreen, even the little kid behind us who had cried earlier, scared of some of the calamities befalling the feline hero.—
Gary Shteyngart,
The New Yorker,
27 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Disasters.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disasters. Accessed 27 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share