disasters

noun

plural of disaster
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 These factors make its impacts somewhat of a wild card, experts say, with the effects of global warming acting in concert with El Niño to heighten the severity of heat waves and other disasters. — Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2026 The organization was created by a group of BBQ pitmasters after the deadly 2011 EF-5 tornado in Joplin, Missouri, with the purpose of feeding communities after disasters. — Darius Johnson, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026 Her actions unintentionally turn Souta into a three-legged chair by the mischievous cat Daijin, sending Suzume on a journey to rescue Souta and prevent further disasters. — Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 11 Aug. 2026 Authorities warned of a high risk of geological disasters in parts of Zhejiang, while residents in areas covered by a red mountain-torrent warning were told to ‌follow local evacuation orders. — Reuters, NBC news, 9 Aug. 2026 Subsequent disasters, including the 1986 Chernobyl meltdown and the 2011 Fukushima leak, helped sustain that fear. — Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 9 Aug. 2026 Some of Europe’s biggest insurance companies told CNBC this week that the region isn’t adequately prepared to deal with the risks of wildfires and weather disasters, leaving a substantial share of financial damage uninsured. — Sawdah Bhaimiya, CNBC, 7 Aug. 2026 The man responsible for one of the greatest engineering marvels of his time, the 233-mile aqueduct that gave a semiarid region a world-class city, now admitted responsibility for one of the greatest engineering disasters in American history. — Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 2026 Two climbers remain missing and the search is ongoing following what the Alpine Club described as one of Pakistan’s deadliest mountaineering disasters. — ABC News, 6 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disasters
  1. catastrophes
  2. failures
  3. tragedies
  4. disappointments
  5. apocalypses
  6. bombs
  7. calamities
  8. losers
Noun
  • The contrast is a reminder of the differences between the neighboring nations — their political systems, resources and the strength of their institutions — and a demonstration of how those can take on life-or-death importance in catastrophes.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026
  • The company’s founder, Jeff Bezos, envisions building space habitats that could house billions as a solution to environmental catastrophes on Earth.
    — Marissa E. Yingling, The Conversation, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of catastrophes
Noun
  • The failures of Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns’ major offseason shakeup are felt most acutely at first base and second base.
    — Will Sammon, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Equipment failures, especially of pavers, can pose setbacks during resurfacing.
    — Doug Turnbull, AJC.com, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of failures
Noun
  • Seemingly disconnected except by my mother’s witness, these two events illustrate how tragedies can galvanize change.
    — Dr. Marianne Parshley, Hartford Courant, 10 Aug. 2026
  • There are also now safety measures being proposed along the river to prevent future tragedies.
    — Andrew Ramos, CBS News, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of tragedies
Noun
  • And yet, more often than not, modern-day biopic films are disappointments, inert movies that fall into the same narrative traps, leaving audiences cold.
    — Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Buyers, wary of past disappointments, prioritize safety and trust, often choosing the individual who feels most reliable, even if not the most skilled.
    — Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of disappointments
Noun
  • Based on Thornton Wilder’s The Skin of Our Teeth, the surrealist musical follows one nuclear family across thousands of years and three apocalypses.
    — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 10 Dec. 2025
  • And a lot of the pseudepigrapha, like the fake gospels and fake apocalypses, fill in gaps in the record that can serve latter-day, post-biblical purposes.
    — JSTOR Daily, JSTOR Daily, 16 Oct. 2025
Definition of apocalypses
Noun
  • Russia is launching around 220 glide bombs every day against settlements near the front line in eastern and southern Ukraine, Zelenskyy said in a social media post Friday.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Aug. 2026
  • But decades of asymmetric warfare in the Middle East, in which the United States relied largely on drones and bombs, had led some to believe the days of artillery battles were waning.
    — Jesse Coburn, ProPublica, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of bombs
Noun
  • That’s been the story of this third season, one that started with Rhaenyra storming the castle and taking the Iron Throne and then promptly saw her get picked apart by dozens of unforeseen calamities.
    — Brian Grubb, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Yoon drew extensively on these themes in his earlier works—most recently in the novel Run Me to Earth and the Story Prize–winning collection The Hive and the Honey—and his oeuvre depicts war’s psychological and material calamities.
    — Rachel Vorona Cote, The Atlantic, 30 July 2026
Definition of calamities
Noun
  • The losers of the quarterfinals can still secure a spot in the Women's World Cup.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Critics, including some Republicans and economists, warn against the state picking winners and losers.
    — James K. Glassman, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of losers

Browse Nearby Words

disaster
disasters
disastrous
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Disasters.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disasters. Accessed 18 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on disasters

Nglish: Translation of disasters for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of oxymoron

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Is “GIF” Pronounced “Jiff” or “Giff”?

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All