Catastrophic Meaning
/kætəˈstɹɒfɪk/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
adjOf or pertaining to a catastrophe.
adjDisastrous; ruinous.
Sentence Examples
The consequence of a wrong translation can sometimes be catastrophic.
That would cause a catastrophic accident at the worksite.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The dam failure had ____ consequences, flooding entire villages downstream.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The forest fires had ____ effects on the local wildlife this summer.
Word Origin & History
Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek καταστροφικός (katastrophikós). By surface analysis, catastrophe + -ic.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"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."
— 2009 May 22, Stuart Heritage, “Jon & Kate Latest: People You Don’t Know Do Crap You Don’t Care About”, in Hecklerspray, archived from the original on 15 Apr 2024:
"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."
— 2024 September 14, Katie Hunt, “New evidence upends contentious Easter Island theory, scientists say”, in CNN, archived from the original on 21 Sep 2024:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The dam failure had ____ consequences, flooding entire villages downstream.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The forest fires had ____ effects on the local wildlife this summer.