disastrous

/di'zɑ:strəs/
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disastrous

The company's disastrous decision led to its bankruptcy.

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.
disastrous

The company's disastrous decision led to its bankruptcy.

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