disaster

/dɪˈzɑːstə(r)/ (bre, ipa) · /dɪˈzæstər/ (ame, ipa) · /di-ˈza-stər -ˈsa-/ (ame, mw)

disaster — noun

  • disastersingular
  • disastersplural

1. a sudden and destructive occurrence — like a major earthquake, a terrible fire,

1.名詞B1
釋義

a sudden and destructive occurrence — like a major earthquake, a terrible fire, or a large-scale accident — that brings widespread harm, suffering, or death.

例句

The earthquake that struck the coastal city was a terrible disaster for the whole region.

adjective + disaster: terrible disaster

Emergency workers rushed to provide food and shelter for the disaster victims.

disaster + noun: disaster victims

同義詞
  • catastrophe

    similar scale and suddenness, slightly more formal

  • calamity

    suggests widespread personal suffering; more literary

  • tragedy

    focuses on the emotional sorrow of the event, often involving loss of life

  • cataclysm

    a very large-scale, violent upheaval; formal and rare

反義詞
  • miracle

    a good event that seems impossible or very unlikely

  • triumph

    a great success or victory

文法句型

adjective + disaster

disaster + noun (disaster area, disaster victims)

用法筆記

Often paired with an adjective that specifies the type of disaster — for example, natural disaster, environmental disaster, or humanitarian disaster. Can be used as an uncountable noun when referring to the general concept: 'The region is no stranger to disaster.'

常見錯誤

❌The car crash was a small disaster.
✅The car crash was a serious accident.
💡In everyday English, disaster is reserved for events with large-scale consequences; use accident or crash for smaller vehicle incidents.

2. a situation, event, or attempt that goes extremely badly or is completely unsucc

2.名詞B2
釋義

a situation, event, or attempt that goes extremely badly or is completely unsuccessful — for example, a party that everyone hated, or a project that lost a lot of money.

例句

The party was a complete disaster — the food burned and the music system broke down.

complete disaster — intensifier + noun

Mathieu's attempt to bake a cake from memory turned out to be a total disaster.

total disaster — intensifier + noun

同義詞
  • failure

    more neutral; disaster is stronger and more emotional

  • fiasco

    emphasises the embarrassing, disorganised nature of the failure

  • debacle

    a complete and often humiliating failure; slightly formal

  • mess

    informal, suggests a confused or dirty situation rather than a total failure

反義詞
  • success

    a good result or outcome

  • triumph

    a particularly impressive success

文法句型

often preceded by total, complete, absolute

recipe for disaster

用法筆記

Very common in informal conversation and social media to describe everyday situations that go wrong. Typically needs a strong intensifier (total, complete, absolute) or a descriptive adjective (financial, professional) to sound natural as a countable noun.

常見錯誤

❌I failed my exam — it was a disaster.
✅I failed my exam
💡it was a disaster.' (Actually natural in informal speech. But in formal writing, disaster may sound exaggerated: use failure or setback instead.)