disaster

noun

1. 灾难；灾祸；灾害
   an unexpected event, such as a very bad accident, a flood or a fire, that kills a lot of people or causes a lot of damage
   1. an air disaster
      空难
   2. environmental disasters
      环境灾难
   3. Thousands died in the disaster.
      数千人在这场灾祸中丧生。
   4. a natural disaster (= one that is caused by nature)
      自然灾害
2. 不幸；祸患
   a very bad situation that causes problems
   1. Losing your job doesn't have to be such a disaster.
      丢了工作不一定就是大难临头。
   2. Disaster struck when the wheel came off.
      车轮脱落，灾难就来了。
   3. financial disaster
      严重的财政危机
   4. Letting her organize the party is a recipe for disaster (= something that is likely to go badly wrong) .
      让她来组织这次聚会非坏事不可。
3. 彻底失败的人（或事）
   a complete failure
   1. As a teacher, he's a disaster.
      他当老师压根儿就不称职。
   2. The play's first night was a total disaster.
      这出戏头一晚就彻底演砸了。

1. N-COUNT (尤指伤亡惨重的)灾难，灾祸(如地震、坠机等)
   A disaster is a very bad accident such as an earthquake or a plane crash, especially one in which a lot of people are killed.
   1. It was the second air disaster in the region in less than two months...
      这已经是该地区不到两个月内的第二次空难了。
   2. Many had lost all in the disaster and were destitute.
      很多人被灾难夺去了一切，变得一无所有。
2. N-COUNT 非常糟糕的事;彻底的失败;不幸
   If you refer to something as a disaster, you are emphasizing that you think it is extremely bad or unacceptable.
   1. The whole production was just a disaster!
      整个产品简直就是一个败笔！
   2. It would be a disaster for them not to reach the semi-finals...
      如果不能挺进半决赛，对他们来说就是完败。
   3. 'This tax is a disaster waiting to happen,' said an angry Tory backbencher.
      “这项税收将为日后埋下祸根，”一位愤怒的保守党后座议员说道。
3. N-UNCOUNT 灾祸;祸患
   Disaster is something which has very bad consequences for you.
   1. The government brought itself to the brink of fiscal disaster...
      政府把自己推向了财政危机的边缘。
   2. 'The potential for disaster is enormous,' he says.
      “这将会祸患无穷，”他说道。
4. 没有什么好结果；后患无穷
   If you say that something is a recipe for disaster, you mean that it is very likely to have unpleasant consequences.

1. The pilots had to take emergency action to avoid a disaster
   飞行员不得不采取紧急措施避免灾难的发生。
2. For Sandro, the new year brought disaster
   对桑德罗来说，新的一年带来的是灾难。
3. Tragic literature dignifies sorrow and disaster
   悲剧作品使悲伤和灾难得到了升华。
4. It was the second air disaster in the region in less than two months
   这已经是该地区不到两个月内的第二次空难了。
5. Many had lost all in the disaster and were destitute.
   很多人被灾难夺去了一切，变得一无所有。
6. The whole production was just a disaster!
   整个产品简直就是一个败笔！
7. It would be a disaster for them not to reach the semi-finals
   如果不能挺进半决赛，对他们来说就是完败。
8. 'This tax is a disaster waiting to happen,' said an angry Tory backbencher.
   “这项税收将为日后埋下祸根，”一位愤怒的保守党后座议员说道。
9. The government brought itself to the brink of fiscal disaster
   政府把自己推向了财政危机的边缘。
10. 'The potential for disaster is enormous,' he says.
    “这将会祸患无穷，”他说道。
11. The region has been declared a disaster area.
    这个地区被宣布为灾区。
12. He's a nice old rascal but a disaster area as a politician.
    他是个不错的老家伙，但是作为一个政治家就太差劲了。
13. Who could ever dream of a disaster like this?
    谁能想到会发生这样的灾难？
14. This is the high road to disaster.
    这很可能会导致灾难。
15. On the morning of the expedition I awoke with a feeling of impending disaster
    出发远征的那个早上，我醒来就有一种灾难即将来临的感觉。
16. I think it's a disaster in the making.
    我认为这会是一场灾难。
17. It has called the typhoon the worst natural disaster in South Korea in many years
    它称这次台风为韩国多年来最严重的自然灾害。
18. Her appearance at this moment is an omen of disaster
    她在此刻出现预示着一场灾难。
19. It's an ecological disaster with no parallel anywhere else in the world.
    这是一场在世界其他地方都没有出现过的生态灾难。
20. He had a presentiment of disaster.
    他预感会有灾难降临。
21. They neglected to rearm in time and left Britain exposed to disaster.
    他们由于疏忽没有及时重整军备，结果使英国面临灾祸。
22. Scientists have described the Aral sea as the site of the worst ecological disaster on earth
    科学家把咸海描述成地球上最严重的生态灾难发生地。
23. Bank of England officials continued to insist that the pound would soon return to stability but disaster struck
    英格兰银行官员仍然坚持说英镑不久就会恢复稳定，但结果灾难爆发了。
24. Tens of thousands more suffered terrible injuries in the world's worst industrial disaster
    还有成千上万的人在那场全世界最严重的工业灾难中受了重伤。
25. Take-off and landing procedures have been tightened after two jets narrowly escaped disaster.
    在两架喷气机差点出事故之后，起飞和降落的操作规程更加严格了。
26. An investigation is underway to find out how the disaster happened
    调查已经展开，以查明灾难是如何发生的。
27. Witnesses to the crash say they saw an explosion just before the disaster
    空难目击者称，就在灾难发生之前他们看见飞机发生了爆炸。
28. The area has been declared a disaster zone.
    这个地区已经被宣布为灾难地带。
29. A frightful traffic disaster was avoided.
    一次可怕的交通事故避免了。
30. You don't know how they suffered as disaster victims.
    你可不知道灾民的苦处。

  tragedy adversity calamity catastrophe disaster misfortune【导航词义：悲剧，灾难】

  tragedy n. 悲剧性事件，惨剧

〔辨析〕指因有人死亡而令人震惊的不幸事件。

  adversity n. 逆境，不幸

〔辨析〕指困难重重或不走运的境况。

  calamity n. 灾难，祸患

〔辨析〕指意外发生的、造成重大损失的灾祸，语气强于 disaster，侧重于悲痛的心情；有时也指个人的不幸， 多为幽默用语。

  catastrophe n. 重大灾难；大祸

〔辨析〕语气最强，指造成破坏、死亡的可怕灾难，强调最终的结局；也可指极为麻烦的局面或悲惨的结局。

  disaster n. 灾难，灾祸

〔辨析〕普通用词，通常指各类人为或自然的灾祸，如核泄漏、洪水、暴风雪等。

  misfortune n. 不幸，灾祸

〔辨析〕多指较为严重的不幸，强调多由厄运或外界因素所致。

n.

an accident/a disaster waiting to happen

• 隐患
  a thing or person that is very likely to cause danger or a problem in the future because of the condition it is in or the way they behave

noun

1. an act that has disastrous consequences

2. an event resulting in great loss and misfortune
   1. the whole city was affected by the irremediable calamity
   2. the earthquake was a disaster

   Synonym:    calamitycatastrophetragedycataclysm

3. a state of extreme (usually irremediable) ruin and misfortune
   1. lack of funds has resulted in a catastrophe for our school system
   2. his policies were a disaster

   Synonym:    catastrophe