catastrophic

A catastrophe is a very bad situation or event that causes a lot of harm and damage.

When we talk about catastrophic things happening, it usually means something extremely unpleasant and destructive. For example, a natural disaster like an earthquake or hurricane can be catastrophic because it destroys homes and takes lives. Similarly, a company going bankrupt can be seen as a catastrophe for the employees who lose their jobs. Even personal events like the loss of a loved one or a serious accident can be described as catastrophic. The word is often used in situations where things have gone very wrong and there's no easy way to fix the problem.