catastrophe

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++朗文当代英语 5++LDOCE 5++朗文 5++ca·tas·tro·phe /kəˈtæstrəfi/ noun 1 DISASTER[countable, uncountable] a terrible event in which there is a lot of destruction, suffering, or death 灾难，大祸，严重的不幸 SYN disasterenvironmental/nuclear/economic etc catastrophe The Black Sea is facing ecological catastrophe as a result of pollution. 污染导致黑海面临生态灾难。prevent/avert a catastrophe Sudan requires food immediately to avert a humanitarian catastrophe. 苏丹急需食物以避免出现人道主义灾难。2 HARM/BE BAD FOR[countable] an event which is very bad for the people involved 麻烦，困境，不利的局面 SYN disastercatastrophe for If the contract is cancelled, it’ll be a catastrophe for everyone concerned. 如果合同取消，对每位相关人员都将是个灾难。5 —catastrophic/‚kætə'strɒfɪk◂/adj a catastrophic fall in the price of rice大米价格的灾难性下跌 The failure of the talks could have catastrophic consequences .谈判失败可能会带来灾难性后果。 —catastrophically/-kli/adv

Examples from the Corpus

catastrophe• The blizzard was a catastrophe that affected 17 states, ranging from New Hampshire to Tennessee.• The oil spill will be an ecological catastrophe.• Scientists say the oil spill is an ecological catastrophe.• Most people now accept that global warming could result in an environmental catastrophe.• Seven different teachers in the course of ten days became the final catastrophe of this classroom.• The drive for cheap food has been behind every food catastrophe of the past decade.• These will go a long way to lessen the real danger of accidental war or nuclear catastrophe due to misinformation.• The prose of this chapter measures the adequacy of verbal accounts of catastrophe in the age of photographic reproduction.• Of my five fires, it is the only catastrophe instigated by nature.• At the simplest level, patriotism lent meaning and purpose to personal catastrophes that would otherwise appear intolerable.• When November came, and the debt ceiling had not moved, Rubin postponed catastrophe by borrowing from two government pension funds.• The governments of the world failed to act to prevent the catastrophe of World War II.• Surely this catastrophe couldn't really be happening?• The economy seems to be moving toward catastrophe.environmental/nuclear/economic etc catastrophe• For 24 hours the country appeared headed for political and economic catastrophe, with two Chambers about to be sworn in.• It was not, somehow, the air of a man contemplating nuclear catastrophe, but a more pleasant dream.• Each side claims that its estimate of the chances of nuclear catastrophe is more accurate.• These will go a long way to lessen the real danger of accidental war or nuclear catastrophe due to misinformation.• They act as a complement to his large works which are responses to a progressive environmental catastrophe.• I say nuclear catastrophe partly because any exchange of nuclear arsenals will bear no resemblance to anything that could be called war.• The republics were poor, in a state of virtual economic catastrophe.Origin catastrophe (1500-1600) Greek katastrephein “to turn upside down”, from kata- ( → CATACLYSM) + strephein “to turn”

ca·tas·tro·phe nounChineseSyllable

a event terrible Corpus in there which

catastrophe
ca‧tas‧tro‧phe /kəˈtæstrəfi/

noun

Date: 1500-1600
Language: Greek
Origin: katastrephein 'to turn upside down', from kata- ( ⇨ cataclysm) + strephein 'to turn'

1. [uncountable and countable] a terrible event in which there is a lot of destruction, suffering, or death
   SYN disaster
    environmental/nuclear/economic etc catastrophe

The Black Sea is facing ecological catastrophe as a result of pollution.
prevent/avert a catastrophe

Sudan requires food immediately to avert a humanitarian catastrophe.
2. [countable] an event which is very bad for the people involved
   SYN disaster
    catastrophe for

If the contract is cancelled, it’ll be a catastrophe for everyone concerned.
—catastrophic /ˌkætəˈstrɒfɪk◂ $ -ˈstrɑː-/ adjective:

a catastrophic fall in the price of rice

The failure of the talks could have catastrophic consequences.
—catastrophically /-kli/ adverb

THESAURUS

   ▪ disaster a sudden event such as an accident, or a natural event such as a flood or storm, which causes great damage or suffering: 200 people died in the train disaster. | The earthquake was the worst natural disaster to hit India for over 50 years.
   ▪ catastrophe a terrible event in which there is a lot of destruction, damage, suffering, or death over a wide area of the world: A large comet hitting the earth would be a catastrophe. | We don’t want another nuclear catastrophe like Chernobyl. | Scientists say that the oil spill is an ecological catastrophe.
   ▪ tragedy a very sad event, that shocks people because it involves death: It was a tragedy that he died so young. | the AIDS tragedy in Africa
   ▪ debacle an event or situation that is a complete failure and is very embarrassing: The opening ceremony turned into a debacle. | The team is hoping to do better this game, after last week’s debacle against the Chicago Bears.

ca·tas·trophe

BrE

/kəˈtæstrəfi/

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NAmE

/kəˈtæstrəfi/

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noun