desastre

/deˈsastre/
nounIntermediate
general

A sudden event that causes great damage, destruction, or distress.

El huracán dejó un desastre a su paso.

The hurricane left a disaster in its wake.

La guerra fue un desastre para la economía del país.

The war was a disaster for the country's economy.

💡

Often used to describe natural disasters, accidents, or catastrophic events.

Collocations

causar un desastreto cause a disasterevitar un desastreto avoid a disasterun desastre naturala natural disaster

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Phrases

ser un desastrephrase
to be a disaster (figurative)
desastre ecológicophrase
ecological disaster

💡Pro Tip

Common Usage

In Spanish, 'desastre' is often used to describe both literal disasters (like natural disasters) and figurative ones (like a failed project).

Gold Rule

Context Matters

Pay attention to the context to determine if 'desastre' is being used literally or figuratively.

📖Word Origin

From Latin 'disaster', from Italian 'disastro', from 'dis-' (bad) + 'astro' (star), originally referring to an unfavorable astrological event.

📝Usage Notes

Can be used both literally and figuratively to describe any situation that results in significant failure or damage.

Word Breakdown

dis-
bad, unfavorable
prefix
+
-astre
star (from Latin 'astro')
root
Diccionario Español-Inglés