Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Of, relating to, or involving a catastrophe.
  • adjective Involving or resulting in substantial, often ruinous medical expense.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Pertaining to or of the nature of a catastrophe; cataclysmic.
  • Relating to or in conformity with the views of the catastrophists; cataclysmal.
  • Subversive in a momentous degree of settled usage or law.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Of a pertaining to a catastrophe.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Of or pertaining to a catastrophe.
  • adjective Disastrous; ruinous.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective extremely harmful; bringing physical or financial ruin

Etymologies

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Examples

  • However, if these two "perfect storms" happen to be political in nature, the term catastrophic may be a bit over the top, that is, unless the eyes of both storms happen to contain United States Representatives, Senators and the President.

    ChronWatch - Articles Neil Braithwaite 2010

  • However, if these two "perfect storms" happen to be political in nature, the term catastrophic may be a bit over the top, that is, unless the eyes of both storms happen to contain United States Representatives, Senators and the President.

    ChronWatch - Articles Neil Braithwaite 2010

  • These sober national security experts don't use the word "catastrophic" lightly.

    James Jay Carafano: New York Times Turns Blind Eye to EMP Threat James Jay Carafano 2011

  • These sober national security experts don't use the word "catastrophic" lightly.

    James Jay Carafano: New York Times Turns Blind Eye to EMP Threat James Jay Carafano 2011

  • These sober national security experts don't use the word "catastrophic" lightly.

    James Jay Carafano: New York Times Turns Blind Eye to EMP Threat James Jay Carafano 2011

  • These sober national security experts don't use the word "catastrophic" lightly.

    James Jay Carafano: New York Times Turns Blind Eye to EMP Threat James Jay Carafano 2011

  • The Army Corps of Engineers says there has been what it called a catastrophic break at a lock along the Ohio River, the lock helped regulate river levels allowing boats and barges to get around the dams.

    CNN Transcript Sep 27, 2009 2009

  • They're saying it could take a couple of days for that to happen, but if the winds don't cooperate, those three fires could merge and then you have what they call a catastrophic wildfire.

    CNN Transcript Oct 23, 2007 2007

  • And Visillios Porgaiziz shared this shot from Marco Polo beach, north of Athens, a safe distance from the flames, but close enough to see what he calls the catastrophic nature of the disaster.

    CNN Transcript Aug 31, 2007 2007

  • NICOLAS SARKOZY, FRANCE (through translator): An alternative which I call catastrophic, an Iranian bomb or the bombing of Iran.

    CNN Transcript Aug 28, 2007 2007

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