Definitions for catastrophe
kəˈtæs trə ficatas·tro·phe

Princeton's WordNet(3.67 / 3 votes)Rate this definition:

1. calamity, catastrophe, disaster, tragedy, cataclysmnoun

   an event resulting in great loss and misfortune

   "the whole city was affected by the irremediable calamity"; "the earthquake was a disaster"

2. catastrophe, disasternoun

   a state of extreme (usually irremediable) ruin and misfortune

   "lack of funds has resulted in a catastrophe for our school system"; "his policies were a disaster"

3. catastrophe, cataclysmnoun

   a sudden violent change in the earth's surface

Wiktionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. catastrophenoun

   Any large and disastrous event of great significance.

   Etymology: From καταστροφή, from καταστρέφω, from κατά + στρέφω

2. catastrophenoun

   A disaster beyond expectations

   Etymology: From καταστροφή, from καταστρέφω, from κατά + στρέφω

3. catastrophenoun

   The dramatic event that initiates the resolution of the plot in a tragedy.

   Etymology: From καταστροφή, from καταστρέφω, from κατά + στρέφω

4. catastrophenoun

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

   Etymology: From καταστροφή, from καταστρέφω, from κατά + στρέφω

Webster Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Catastrophenoun

   an event producing a subversion of the order or system of things; a final event, usually of a calamitous or disastrous nature; hence, sudden calamity; great misfortune

   Etymology: [L. catastropha, Gr. , fr. to turn up and down, to overturn; kata` down + to turn.]

2. Catastrophenoun

   the final event in a romance or a dramatic piece; a denouement, as a death in a tragedy, or a marriage in a comedy

   Etymology: [L. catastropha, Gr. , fr. to turn up and down, to overturn; kata` down + to turn.]

3. Catastrophenoun

   a violent and widely extended change in the surface of the earth, as, an elevation or subsidence of some part of it, effected by internal causes

   Etymology: [L. catastropha, Gr. , fr. to turn up and down, to overturn; kata` down + to turn.]

Freebase(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Catastrophe

   Catastrophe is a short play by Samuel Beckett, written in French in 1982 at the invitation of A.I.D.A. and “[f]irst produced in the Avignon Festival … Beckett considered it ‘massacred.’” It is one of his few plays to deal with a political theme and, arguably, holds the title of Beckett's most optimistic work. It was dedicated to then imprisoned Czech reformer and playwright, Václav Havel.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Catastrophe

   kat-as′trō-fē, n. an overturning: a final event: an unfortunate conclusion: a calamity.—adj. Catastroph′ic—ns. Catas′trophism, the theory in geology that accounts for 'breaks in the succession' by the hypothesis of vast catastrophes—world-wide destruction of floras and faunas, and the sudden introduction or creation of new forms of life, after the forces of nature had sunk into repose; Catas′trophist, a holder of the foregoing, as opposed to the uniformitarian theory. [Gr., kata, down, strephein, to turn.]

Matched Categories

1. • Adversity
   • Geological Phenomenon
   • Misfortune

How to pronounce catastrophe?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say catastrophe in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of catastrophe in Chaldean Numerology is: 7

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of catastrophe in Pythagorean Numerology is: 9

Examples of catastrophe in a Sentence

1. State John Kerry:

   But what happens if the climate skeptics are wrong? Catastrophe.

2. Jesse Lehrich:

   They make cosmetic tweaks, whatever they think is enough to signal that they are taking things seriously. But they don't actually care, i have zero expectation that they'll make any meaningful changes to prevent another catastrophe.

3. Ernesto Araujo:

   There is no climate change catastrophe, from the debate that is going on it would seem that the world is ending.

4. David Barber:

   Obamacare is a catastrophe because it's horribly expensive, the government keeps giving and giving and giving, and it's got to stop somewhere.

5. Angela Merkel:

   The people who experienced World War Two, the last true global catastrophe, are dying out and are no longer there as eyewitnesses, they learned from that terrible experience not to embed emnity but that you had to try and build friendships with each other.

Images & Illustrations of catastrophe

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