Definition of: catastrophe

(kə·tas′trə·fē) noun
1. Any final event; a fatal conclusion; great and sudden misfortune.
2. In a drama, the conclusion or unraveling of the plot; the dénouement.
3. A sudden, violent change, especially of the earth's surface; cataclysm. [<Gk. katastrophē <kata- over, down + strephein turn]
—cat·a·stroph·ic (kat′ə·strof′ik) adjective Synonyms: calamity, cataclysm, dénouement, disaster, mischance, misfortune, mishap, sequel. A cataclysm or catastrophe is some great convulsion or momentous event that may or may not be a cause of misery to man. In calamity, or disaster, the thought of human suffering is always present. It has been held by many geologists that numerous catastrophes or cataclysms antedated the existence of man. In literature the final event of a drama is the catastrophe, or dénouement. Misfortune ordinarily suggests less of suddenness and violence than calamity or disaster, and is especially applied to that which is lingering or enduring in its effects. Pestilence is a calamity; a defeat in battle, a shipwreck, a failure in business are disasters; sickness, loss of property are misfortunes; failure to meet a friend is a mischance; the breaking of a teacup is a mishap. Compare ACCIDENT, MISFORTUNE. Antonyms: benefit, blessing, boon, comfort, favor, help, pleasure, privilege, prosperity, success.