catastrophe

CEFRB2

/kəˈtæstɹəfi/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A sudden event that causes great damage or suffering.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    A disaster beyond expectations.

Examples

  • Our trip to Africa has become a catastrophe.

  • Few passengers survived the catastrophe.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
5

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. The dramatic event that initiates the resolution of the plot; the dénouement.

  2. Any large and disastrous event of great significance.

  3. A type of bifurcation, where a system shifts between two stable states.

More examples

In context

  • Unfortunately, few passengers survived the catastrophe.

  • The Chernobyl disaster was a catastrophe.

  • Between these high lights accumulated disaster, social catastrophe.

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The earthquake was a terrible blank that destroyed most of the coastal city.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

From Ancient Greek καταστροφή (katastrophḗ), from καταστρέφω (katastréphō, “to overturn”), from κατά (katá, “down, against”) + στρέφω (stréphō, “to turn”).