disastrous

The word “disastrous” means causing great damage or harm; having the nature of a disaster. In plain terms, describes something that has gone, or will go, extremely badly.

“Disastrous” is pronounced dih-ZAH-struhs (/dɪˈzæs.tɹəs/ in IPA).

Here is “disastrous” used in a sentence: “The company's disastrous decision led to massive layoffs.”

Words with a similar meaning to “disastrous” include apocalyptic, calamitous, cataclysmal, cataclysmic, catastrophic and deadly.

“Disastrous” is an adjective.

The word “disastrous” comes from French. From disaster + -ous, echoing French desastreux and ultimately Italian disastroso.

“Disastrous” is an uncommon word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.

Disastrous describes something causing great damage or harm, on the scale of a disaster, while unfortunate simply means unlucky or regrettable without necessarily implying serious destruction. A disastrous fire destroys property, whereas an unfortunate delay merely causes inconvenience.

Yes, disastrous is often used figuratively for outcomes such as a disastrous decision, a disastrous performance, or a disastrous meeting, where the harm is to reputation, results, or relationships rather than physical property. This figurative use is extremely common in everyday and business English.

Disastrous frequently pairs with nouns like consequences, results, effects, decision, and outcome, reflecting its meaning of causing great harm. These collocations appear often in news writing and formal commentary about failures or mistakes.