1. involving or causing sudden great damage or suffering; disastrous

Examples

• The earthquake caused catastrophic damage to the city.
• A catastrophic failure in the engine forced the plane to make an emergency landing.
• The drought had catastrophic effects on the region’s agriculture.
• Scientists warn that climate change could have catastrophic consequences.
• The company’s catastrophic losses led to massive layoffs.
• The hurricane brought catastrophic flooding to coastal areas.