desastroso
“desastroso” means “disastrous” in Spanish (when a situation or event goes very badly).
disastrous
Also: terrible, awful
📝 In Action
El clima fue desastroso durante todo el viaje.
A1The weather was disastrous during the whole trip.
Tuve un examen desastroso porque no pude dormir nada.
A2I had an awful exam because I couldn't sleep at all.
La organización del evento resultó ser desastrosa.
B1The organization of the event turned out to be disastrous.
Translate to Spanish
✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: desastroso
Question 1 of 3
How would you say 'disastrous ideas' in Spanish?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
📚 Etymology▼
From the noun 'desastre'. It traces back to the Old French 'desastre', which comes from the Latin 'dis-' (bad) and 'astrum' (star). Ancient people believed that a 'bad star' caused great misfortunes.
First recorded: 17th century
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use 'desastroso' to describe a messy person?
It is better to say 'es un desastre' (he/she is a disaster) or 'es muy desordenado'. Using 'desastroso' for a person often sounds like their whole life or an action they did was a failure, rather than just their room being messy.
What is the difference between 'malo' and 'desastroso'?
'Malo' just means bad. 'Desastroso' is much stronger; it means everything went wrong and the result was a failure.
Is 'desastroso' formal?
It is quite neutral. You can use it with friends to talk about a bad date, or in a news report to talk about an economic crisis.