ca·tas·tro·phe /kəˈtæstrəfi/ ●○○ noun 1 DISASTER[countableC, uncountableU] a terrible event in which there is a lot of destruction, suffering, or death 灾难,大祸,严重的不幸 SYN disasterenvironmental/nuclear/economic etc catastrophe The Black Sea is facing ecological catastrophe as a result of pollution. 污染导致黑海面临生态灾难。
prevent/avert a catastrophe Sudan requires food immediately to avert a humanitarian catastrophe. 苏丹急需食物以避免出现人道主义灾难。
2 HARM/BE BAD FOR[countableC] an event which is very bad for the people involved 麻烦,困境,不利的局面 SYN disastercatastrophe for If the contract is cancelled, it’ll be a catastrophe for everyone concerned. 如果合同取消,对每位相关人员都将是个灾难。
5 —catastrophic/‚kætə'strɒfɪk◂/ adj a catastrophic fall in the price of rice大米价格的灾难性下跌
The failure of the talks could have catastrophic consequences .谈判失败可能会带来灾难性后果。
—catastrophically/-kli/ adv