disastrous
/di'zɑ:strəs/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- 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
- (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