The disastrous flooding along the river displaced thousands of families and destroyed centuries-old farmland in a single season.
沿河的灾难性洪水使数千个家庭流离失所，并在一个季节内摧毁了拥有数百年历史的农田。
Which choice best defines “disastrous”?
D — Causing great harm or damage. “disastrous” means causing great harm or damage.
Which word means “causing great harm or damage”?
C — disastrous. “disastrous” means causing great harm or damage.
disastrous — causing great harm or damage. In Chinese: 灾难性的.
disastrous is pronounced /dɪˈzæstrəs/.
The disastrous flooding along the river displaced thousands of families and destroyed centuries-old farmland in a single season. (沿河的灾难性洪水使数千个家庭流离失所，并在一个季节内摧毁了拥有数百年历史的农田。)
catastrophic, devastating, ruinous — all close in meaning to disastrous (causing great harm or damage).
beneficial, fortunate — each the opposite of disastrous (causing great harm or damage).
Yes. disastrous is on the SAT Prep Basic list — the everyday academic words the SAT assumes you already have. The Digital SAT does not test vocabulary in isolation; words like this one are tested through Words in Context questions, where you choose the word that completes a passage most logically and precisely.