1. An event resulting in great loss and misfortune
   - calamity, disaster, tragedy, cataclysm 
2. A state of extreme (usually irremediable) ruin and misfortune
   "lack of funds has resulted in a catastrophe for our school system"
   - disaster 
3. A sudden violent change in the earth's surface
   - cataclysm

Derived forms: catastrophes

Type of: adversity, bad luck, geological phenomenon, hard knocks, hardship, misfortune

Encyclopedia: Catastrophe

• controller
• controllership
• controlling
• controlling interest
• controversial
• controversialist
• controversially
• controversy
• controvert
• controvertible
• contumacious
• contumaciously
• contumacy
• contumelious
• contumeliously
• contumely
• contuse
• contusion
• conundrum
• conurbation
• Conuropsis
• Conuropsis carolinensis
• convalesce
• convalescence
• convalescent