Catastrophic
mediumNegative tonekat-uh-STROF-ik
adjective
Definition
Involving or causing sudden great damage or suffering
Memory hook
CATA-STROPHIC: a dramatic turning DOWNWARD - everything crashing down at once.
Word roots
Learning roots unlocks whole word families. Study common GRE root words.
Examples
“The earthquake had catastrophic effects on the region.”
“A catastrophic failure of the system could cost millions.”
Test yourself
Fill in the blank with the right word:
“The earthquake had ______ effects on the region.”
Show answer
catastrophic
Synonyms
Antonyms
Categories
GRE Tip
Catastrophic is a medium-difficulty GRE word. On the GRE, you might see it paired with synonyms like "disastrous" or "calamitous" in Sentence Equivalence questions. Look for contrast clues (however, despite, although) that signal the opposite meaning. Words like "beneficial".
Related GRE Words
calamitous
Involving or causing a calamity; disastrous
ruinous
Disastrous; causing great damage or destruction
destructive
Causing great damage or harm; highly damaging
apocalyptic
Describing or prophesying the complete destruction of the world
baneful
Causing harm or ruin; pernicious; destructive
debacle
A sudden and ignominious failure; a fiasco
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