Words / B2

kat-uh-STROF-ik/ˌkætəˈstrɒfɪk/

Catastrophic means extremely damaging; causing a catastrophe: a catastrophic flood; catastrophic failure. Catastrophe is the noun (already in the dictionary); tragic is sad (already elsewhere). A catastrophic flood still needs a named date. Mix-up: catalytic; categorical (already in the dictionary). Do not call a missed bus catastrophic in a write-up.

Meaning

Extremely damaging; causing a catastrophe.

Examples

• “A catastrophic flood still needs a named date and a discharge figure.”
• “Catastrophic failure of the cooling system featured in the case, which is the engineering sense.”

Good to know

a catastrophic + noun; catastrophically. Noun: catastrophe. Trap: categorical. News, geography, and H&S. Disastrously damaging, not “annoying”.

New