catastrophize

Verb

catastrophize (third-person singular simple present catastrophizes, present participle catastrophizing, simple past and past participle catastrophized)

1. (intransitive, transitive) To regard a bad situation as if it were disastrous or catastrophic.
2. (intransitive, transitive) To expose a behavior pattern of seeking the worst interpretation and magnifying the disagreeable outcomes (of).
   • Particularly likely to overreact are those who tend to catastrophize (Ellis, 1962) and those who have Type A personalities (Friedman & Rosenman, 1974).1947, Tavistock Institute of Human Relations, University of Michigan Research Center for Group Dynamics, Human Relations
   • Another way to catastrophize is to jump to an extreme conclusion from an unimportant or irrelevant event.2001, David H. Barlow, Clinical Handbook of Psychological Disorders

   Synonyms:

   awfulize

3. (obsolete) To end a comedy.