Catastrophize
/kəˈtæstɹəfaɪz/ verb
verb ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
Verb
- 1 To regard a bad situation as if it were disastrous or catastrophic. intransitive, transitive
- 2 To expose a behavior pattern of seeking the worst interpretation and magnifying the disagreeable outcomes (of). intransitive, transitive
"Particularly likely to overreact are those who tend to catastrophize (Ellis, 1962) and those who have Type A personalities (Friedman & Rosenman, 1974)."
- 3 To end a comedy. obsolete
Example
More examples"Particularly likely to overreact are those who tend to catastrophize (Ellis, 1962) and those who have Type A personalities (Friedman & Rosenman, 1974)."
Etymology
From catastrophe + -ize.