disastrous
adjective
di·sas·trous
di-ˈza-strəs 
also -ˈsa-
1
: attended by or causing suffering or disaster : calamitous
a disastrous flood
2
: terrible, horrendous
a disastrous score
disastrously
adverb
Synonyms
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
Video of the ship, emergency radio transmissions and analysis from maritime veterans paint a picture of a disastrous scenario.
—
Rich Schapiro, NBC News, 27 Mar. 2024
End of carousel More than a day after the disastrous collapse, there was still little known about their deaths: why the ship crashed, why the bridge fell, and what happened in those final moments when the men were suspended in the air.
—Jasmine Hilton, Washington Post, 27 Mar. 2024
No matter how the war in Gaza ends, what happens in its aftermath, or when Netanyahu’s term finally ends, the prime minister will forever be associated above all with that day and the disastrous war that followed.
—Anshel Pfeffer, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2024
The United States and other countries have warned that a military operation in Rafah could be disastrous.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 17 Mar. 2024
The last takeover of a social media company by a prominent individual was Musk’s acquisition of Twitter, now renamed X. From the standpoint of users or anyone interested in a civil, reliable, safe public space, that deal has been disastrous.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2024
Leagues away from the disastrous ceremony of 2022, which booted several award categories from the live telecast in the misguided pursuit of higher ratings, this year’s ceremony leaned unabashedly into old-school Oscariness.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024
As the warming atmosphere has fueled more extreme weather across the globe, including disastrous downpours across Southern California, pounding rains have overwhelmed sewer pipes across Los Angeles and pose increasing challenges for the region’s water infrastructure.
—Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 22 Mar. 2024
Although experts have touted positive uses for AI, many worry about potentially disastrous consequences including security risks, unmitigated spread of disinformation and even human extinction.
—Krystal Hur, CNN, 21 Mar. 2024
Rich Schapiro, NBC News, 27 Mar. 2024
End of carousel More than a day after the disastrous collapse, there was still little known about their deaths: why the ship crashed, why the bridge fell, and what happened in those final moments when the men were suspended in the air.
—Jasmine Hilton, Washington Post, 27 Mar. 2024
No matter how the war in Gaza ends, what happens in its aftermath, or when Netanyahu’s term finally ends, the prime minister will forever be associated above all with that day and the disastrous war that followed.
—Anshel Pfeffer, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2024
The United States and other countries have warned that a military operation in Rafah could be disastrous.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 17 Mar. 2024
The last takeover of a social media company by a prominent individual was Musk’s acquisition of Twitter, now renamed X. From the standpoint of users or anyone interested in a civil, reliable, safe public space, that deal has been disastrous.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2024
Leagues away from the disastrous ceremony of 2022, which booted several award categories from the live telecast in the misguided pursuit of higher ratings, this year’s ceremony leaned unabashedly into old-school Oscariness.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024
As the warming atmosphere has fueled more extreme weather across the globe, including disastrous downpours across Southern California, pounding rains have overwhelmed sewer pipes across Los Angeles and pose increasing challenges for the region’s water infrastructure.
—Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 22 Mar. 2024
Although experts have touted positive uses for AI, many worry about potentially disastrous consequences including security risks, unmitigated spread of disinformation and even human extinction.
—Krystal Hur, CNN, 21 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'disastrous.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Disastrous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disastrous. Accessed 17 Apr. 2024.
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