catastrophische

Catastrophische is a German adjective form of katastrophisch, used to describe something related to a catastrophe or possessing catastrophic characteristics. It is placed before a noun to indicate the scale or severity of harm, for example die katastrophische Folge (the catastrophic consequence), das katastrophische Ereignis (the catastrophic event), or der katastrophische Verlauf (the catastrophic course). In plural, the form becomes die katastrophischen Folgen.

Etymology and usage notes: The adjective derives from the noun Katastrophe (catastrophe), which itself comes from Greek katástrophē, meaning a turning or overturning. The -isch suffix turns the noun into an adjective meaning "pertaining to catastrophe." German inflection affects the ending: katastrophische appears in singular with many definite-article forms (die katastrophische Folge, das katastrophische Ereignis, der katastrophische Verlauf). In plural with a definite article it becomes katastrophischen (die katastrophischen Folgen). The form can also appear with different endings in combinations of articles and case, and it can be extended to comparative or superlative forms as katastrophischer or am katastrophischsten, depending on the sentence.

Context and contrasts: Catastrophische is commonly used in everyday language to describe events or outcomes of large, often sudden harm, such as natural disasters, industrial accidents, or severe medical or ecological impacts. It is generally neutral and descriptive, whereas synonyms like katastrophal convey stronger evaluative nuance. In scientific discourse, related terms such as Katastrophismus (catastrophism) describe theories or models that emphasize abrupt, large-scale changes.