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catastrophic

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

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Etymology

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Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek καταστροφικός (katastrophikós).[1] By surface analysis, catastrophe +‎ -ic.

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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catastrophic (comparative more catastrophic, superlative most catastrophic)

  1. Of or pertaining to a catastrophe.
  2. Disastrous; ruinous.
    • 2009: Stuart Heritage, Hecklerspray, Friday the 22nd of May in 2009 at 1 o’clock p.m., “Jon & Kate Latest: People You Don’t Know Do Crap You Don’t Care About”
      The reason why Jon & Kate Plus 8 is such a hot topic is because it might all be a sham. It’s been claimed that Jon has a string of mistresses, that Kate had an affair with her bodyguard and that Baby Number Six is actually a shaved Ewok with a catastrophic heroin addiction. Or something.
    • 2024 September 14, Katie Hunt, “New evidence upends contentious Easter Island theory, scientists say”, in CNN‎[1]:
      Some experts, such as geographer Jared Diamond in his 2005 book, “Collapse,” used Easter Island as a cautionary tale of how the exploitation of limited resources can result in catastrophic population decline, ecological devastation and the destruction of a society through infighting.
  3. From which recovery is impossible.
    catastrophic failure

Synonyms

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Antonyms

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Derived terms

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Translations

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References

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  1. ^ “catastrophic, adj.”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.
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