disastrous

/dɪˈzæstrəs/

Say it: dih-ZAS-trus

adjective Causing great damage, harm, or ruin; utterly unsuccessful.
The decision to invest all their savings in one stock had disastrous consequences.

📖 Seen in the wild

The company's decision to launch the product prematurely proved disastrous.
collected by @vocablast

✏️ disastrous in a sentence

The new economic policy had a disastrous impact on small businesses.
My attempt to cook a five-course meal for my in-laws was a disastrous mess.
The military campaign ended in a disastrous retreat, with heavy losses.
Ignoring the early warnings about the storm proved disastrous for the coastal town.
The company's disastrous first quarter led to a massive sell-off of its stock.
Her performance in the final act was so disastrous that it ruined the entire play.

🔁 Synonyms & antonyms

catastrophic calamitous devastating ruinous fatal dire tragic terrible

catastrophic · suggests a larger scale of sudden, widespread destruction.

calamitous · implies widespread and deep distress or misfortune, often on a community level.

devastating · emphasizes the overwhelming and destructive emotional or physical impact.

ruinous · focuses on the outcome of bringing something to ruin, especially financially.

Opposites: successful, fortunate, beneficial, auspicious, favorable

🌱 Where it comes from

The word's origin lies in the stars. It comes from the Italian 'disastro', which combines 'dis' (a negative prefix like 'un-') and 'astro' (star), literally meaning 'ill-starred'. This reflects the old belief that the alignment of celestial bodies controlled human fate, and a disastrous event was one doomed by an unfavorable star.

🧩 How it's used

Common patterns:

disastrous consequencesdisastrous resultsdisastrous effectsdisastrous failureprove disastrousdisastrously wrong

'Disastrous' is a strong word with a heavy negative connotation and should be reserved for situations involving serious failure or damage. Using it for a minor inconvenience, like a bad haircut, would be an exaggeration for humorous effect. It describes outcomes and effects, so while a plan can be disastrous, it's less common to call a person disastrous; you would say their actions were disastrous instead.

Word family: disaster, disastrously

💬 Quick answers

What does disastrous mean?

It describes something that causes great damage, harm, or is a complete failure. It points to an extremely bad outcome.

What is the difference between disastrous and catastrophic?

While similar, 'catastrophic' often implies a larger, more sudden, and widespread event, like an earthquake. 'Disastrous' can describe the negative outcome of a bad decision or a failed project, which might be smaller in scale.

Is 'disastrous' a strong word?

Yes, it is a very strong word used for severe failure, damage, or negative consequences. It is not appropriate for minor setbacks or small mistakes.

Can a person be disastrous?

It's unusual to call a person 'disastrous'. It is more common to describe their actions, decisions, or their effect on something as disastrous, such as 'his leadership was disastrous'.

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