calamitous

[kuh-lam-i-tuhs]

adjective

1. causing or involving calamity; disastrous.

   a calamitous defeat.

   Synonyms: devastating, ruinous, catastrophic
   Antonyms: advantageous, beneficial

calamitous

/ kəˈlæmɪtəs /

adjective

1. causing, involving, or resulting in a calamity; disastrous

Other Word Forms

• calamitously adverb
• calamitousness noun
• uncalamitous adjective
• uncalamitously adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of calamitous¹

First recorded in 1535–45; calamit(y) + -ous

Example Sentences

Instead, the game was tossed away calamitously and feebly.

Read more on BBC

Cracker Barrel shareholders voted to retain the company’s embattled chief executive after a calamitous rebranding campaign, but chose to dump one of the chain’s board members.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Scotland suffered a calamitous second-half collapse against Argentina, falling to two consecutive Autumn Nations losses that ask serious questions of Gregor Townsend's side.

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Over the course of barely two hours on Sunday, Ferrari’s calamitous Formula One season went from bad to worse to absolute rock bottom.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Authorities have meanwhile launched a crackdown on dissent at home that critics say carries echoes of the Soviet era -- even though it is a far cry from the calamitous bloodshed perpetrated by Stalin.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• adverse 
• cataclysmic 
• catastrophic 
• deadly 
• devastating 
• dire 
• fatal 
• grievous 
• heartbreaking 
• lamentable 
• pernicious 
• regrettable 
• ruinous 
• unfavorable 
• unfortunate 
• woeful