French Conversation · Level 7
87 words
French word
catastrophique
Pronunciation
IPA/katastʁofik/
Meaning
- adjectivecatastrophic
Example
La tempête a causé des dégâts catastrophiques dans le village.
The storm caused catastrophic damage in the village.
More examples
Les conséquences de la panne ont été catastrophiques pour l'entreprise.
The consequences of the breakdown were catastrophic for the company.
Core concept
A crisis produces consequences so severe and lasting that recovery becomes extremely hard.
Common phrases
dégâts catastrophiques
catastrophic damage
conséquences catastrophiques
catastrophic consequences
erreur catastrophique
catastrophic mistake
Similar words
désastreux: Producing extremely bad results, serious harm, or major failure.
grave: Serious enough in degree or impact to require attention and action.
terrible: Extremely bad and frightening in its effects or appearance.
dramatique: Emotionally intense and striking enough to strongly attract attention.
Definition in French
S'emploie pour qualifier une situation ou un événement aux effets extrêmement néfastes et durables.
Word origin
Catastrophique is formed from French catastrophe and the adjectival suffix -ique; catastrophe ultimately comes from Greek katastrophē through Latin transmission.
Usage tips
- The colloquial shortening la cata means a disaster or a disastrous situation and suits informal speech rather than formal writing.
Other meanings
- disastrousadjective
Related words
- catastrophedisasternoun
- catastrophiquementcatastrophicallyadverb