Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Causing great damage, suffering, or loss; extremely unfortunate or terrible: Used to describe events, situations, or actions that have very severe and negative consequences.
   • Utterly failing or unsuccessful: Can describe an attempt or endeavor that fails completely and often embarrassingly.

Usage and Examples

• Describing events with dire consequences:
  • The hurricane had a disastrous impact on the coastal communities.
  • The project's disastrous failure cost the company millions.
• Describing a complete and terrible failure:
  • His attempt to fix the plumbing was disastrous; it caused a major flood.
  • The party was a disastrous affair, with the food arriving late and the music system breaking down.

Advanced Usage and Nuances

• "disastrous for": Used to specify who or what is severely affected.
  • The new policy proved disastrous for small businesses.
• "disastrous consequences/results/effects": A common collocation emphasizing the severe outcomes.
  • The leak of confidential data had disastrous consequences for the firm's reputation.

Variants and Related Words

• Disaster (noun): A sudden event causing great damage or loss; a complete failure.
  • The earthquake was a natural disaster.
• Disastrously (adverb): In a way that causes disaster; terribly.
  • The plan failed disastrously.

Synonyms

• Catastrophic: Causing sudden and widespread disaster.
• Calamitous: Involving or causing a calamity; disastrous.
• Devastating: Causing severe shock, distress, or grief.
• Fatal: Causing death; leading to failure or ruin.
• Ruinous: Costly and disastrous; causing ruin.

Antonyms

• Successful: Accomplishing a desired aim or result.
• Fortunate: Favored by or involving good luck.
• Beneficial: Favorable or advantageous; resulting in good.

Common Collocations and Phrases

• Disastrous mistake/error: A very serious mistake.
  • Forgetting to save the file was a disastrous error.
• Disastrous defeat/loss: An overwhelming and terrible loss.
  • The team suffered a disastrous defeat in the finals.
• Prove disastrous: To turn out to be disastrous.
  • The economic reforms could prove disastrous if not implemented carefully.

Adjective

1. (of events) having extremely unfortunate or dire consequences; bringing ruin
   • the stock market crashed on Black Friday
   • a calamitous defeat
   • the battle was a disastrous end to a disastrous campaign
   • such doctrines, if true, would be absolutely fatal to my theory- Charles Darwin
   • it is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it- Douglas MacArthur
   • a fateful error