English · Word Candidate

disaster

/dɪˈzɑːs.təː/

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Also seen as: disasters

Sense 1

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

An unexpected natural or man-made catastrophe of substantial extent causing significant physical damage or destruction, loss of life or sometimes permanent change to the natural environment.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Một thảm họa thiên nhiên hoặc do con người gây ra với mức độ lớn gây thiệt hại vật chất đáng kể hoặc hủy hoại, mất mạng hoặc đôi khi thay đổi vĩnh viễn môi trường tự nhiên

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Noun

Examples

People would suffer disasters when society's morality degenerates.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

An unforeseen event causing great loss, upset or unpleasantness of whatever kind.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Một sự kiện bất ngờ gây ra tổn thất lớn, xáo trộn hoặc khó chịu

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Noun

Examples

And no use for anyone to tell Charles that this was because the Family was in mourning for Mr Granville Darracott […]: Charles might only have been second footman at Darracott Place for a couple of months when that disaster occurred, but no one could gammon him into thinking that my lord cared a spa

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “disaster” mean?

An unexpected natural or man-made catastrophe of substantial extent causing significant physical damage or destruction, loss of life or sometimes permanent change to the natural environment.

Is “disaster” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.