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单词 catastrophe
释义
catastrophe
(once / 592 pages)
n

A catastrophe is a disaster. If a wedding reception is disrupted by a fistfight between the bride and her new mother-in-law, you could call the occasion a catastrophe.
Catastrophe comes from a Greek word meaning "overturn." It originally referred to the disastrous finish of a drama, usually a tragedy. The definition was extended to mean "any sudden disaster" in the 1700s. Nowadays, catastrophe can be used to refer to very tragic events as well as more minor ones. A hurricane destroying hundreds of homes is certainly a catastrophe; baking a birthday cake without following a recipe might also result in catastrophe, if you don't know anything about cooking.
WORD FAMILY
catastrophe: catastrophes
USAGE EXAMPLES
Besides the optimism, the poll also found a lack of perceived catastrophe.
Salon(Jan 01, 2017)
It was the greatest catastrophe ever to befall the human species.
The New Yorker(Jan 01, 2017)
On Thursday, a former top EU lawyer warned of a "catastrophe" for the UK if no interim trade accord was struck.
BBC(Dec 30, 2016)
1n a sudden violent change in the earth's surface
Syn|Hypo|Hyper
cataclysm
nuclear winter
a long period of darkness and extreme cold that scientists predict would follow a full-scale nuclear war; a layer of dust and smoke in the atmosphere would cover the earth and block the rays of the sun; most living organisms would perish
geological phenomenon
a natural phenomenon involving the structure or composition of the earth
2n an event resulting in great loss and misfortune
Syn|Hypo|Hyper
calamity, cataclysm, disaster, tragedy
act of God, force majeure, inevitable accident, unavoidable casualty, vis major
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 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 to a nuclear meltdown
plague
any large scale calamity (especially when thought to be sent by God)
visitation
any disaster or catastrophe
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
the Great Calamity, the Great Hunger, the Great Starvation, the Irish Famine
a famine in Ireland resulting from a potato blight; between 1846 and 1851 a million people starved to death and 1.6 million emigrated (most to America)
bad luck, misfortune
unnecessary and unforeseen trouble resulting from an unfortunate event
3n a state of extreme (usually irremediable) ruin and misfortune
lack of funds has resulted in a catastrophe for our school system
Syn|Hyper
disaster
adversity, hard knocks, hardship
a state of misfortune or affliction
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更新时间:2025/3/22 19:35:11