1) the attitude or belief that the worst thing is most likely to happen, that everything is basically evil (pessimism)
2) a grey layer of dirty substances that forms on the surface of water, e.g. in a bath, a pond etc; the worst kind of people (scum)
(an instance of) bad luck, trouble
bad luck, situation
a big and serious misfortune or disaster (e.g. an earthquake or flood)
disaster; tragedy
a sudden event causing great suffering and destruction e.g. a flood
calamity; unhappy conclusion
(a) large or sudden misfortune (e.g. a flood or fire, an earthquake, a serious defeat in war, the loss of a large sum of money)
accident, trouble
(an example of) a form of drama in which there is conflict and suffering and a sad ending; (an instance of) a very sad event, experience etc in real life
disaster
