English > disaster: 3 senses > noun 2, eventMeaning | An event resulting in great loss and misfortune. |
---|
Example | "the earthquake was a disaster" |
---|
Synonyms | calamity, catastrophe, tragedy, cataclysm |
---|
Narrower | act of God, force majeure, vis major, inevitable accident, unavoidable casualty | A natural and unavoidable catastrophe that interrupts the expected course of events |
---|
apocalypse | A cosmic cataclysm in which God destroys the ruling powers of evil |
famine | A severe shortage / shortage of food (as through crop failure) resulting in violent hunger and starvation and death |
kiss of death | Something that is ruinous |
meltdown | A disaster comparable / comparable to a nuclear meltdown |
plague | Any large scale calamity (especially when thought to be sent by God) |
tidal wave | An unusual (and often destructive) rise of water along the seashore caused by a storm or a combination of wind and high tide |
tsunami | A cataclysm resulting from a destructive sea wave caused by an earthquake or volcanic eruption |
visitation | Any disaster or catastrophe |
Broader | misfortune, bad luck | unnecessary and unforeseen trouble resulting from an unfortunate / unfortunate event |
---|
Spanish | calamidad, cataclismo, catástrofe, desastre, hecatombe, siniestro, tragedia |
---|
Catalan | calamitat, cataclisme, catàstrofe, daltabaix, desastre, tragèdia |
---|
Adjectives | disastrous | (of events) having extremely unfortunate or dire consequences |
---|