noun
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a disaster or misfortune, esp one causing extreme havoc, distress, or misery
-
a state or feeling of deep distress or misery
Synonym Usage
See disaster.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of calamity
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English calamite, from Middle French, from Latin calamitāt-, stem of calamitās (also kadamitas ) “crop failure, disaster,” of disputed origin; often considered to be derived from calam(us) “cane, reed” + -itās -ity ( def. ), but perhaps instead akin to columus “safe,” incolumitās “safety”
Explanation
Use the word calamity to describe an event that causes great harm and misery, or a general state of distress or misery: the calamity of war. Near synonyms are catastrophe and disaster. The noun calamity is from Middle English calamytey, from Latin calamitas, a word which might be related to Latin clades "destruction." Calamity Jane was the nickname of a 19th-century woman living on the U.S. frontier. She claimed to have some very exciting adventures.
Vocabulary lists containing calamity
List 8
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The Crossover
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100 SAT words Beginning with "C"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
In other words, a calamity for a young man with high self-esteem and considerable spy smarts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
George Joseph came of age during the Great Depression, a calamity that left with him with a stated desire to always have plenty of work to do.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026
Some survivors of the deadly floods on the Nepal-China border ran for their lives, others narrowly missed disaster, but all were eyewitnesses to a major calamity and its aftermath.
From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026
Shareholders are claiming the pop star failed to fulfil promises that she would be "actively building" the brand, saying her "abject dereliction of her duties" has left the company in a "state of financial calamity".
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
Argument was fruitless once the name of Santini was invoked, both boys knew that, and both knew that if they continued to milk the issue they were merely inviting calamity.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
“We would not be who we are today without the calamities of our yesterdays,” wrote Salman Rushdie in a memoir, adapting a somewhat similar remark by Samuel Beckett.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
"Since this region has seen calamities in the past as well, these are certainly symptoms of a deeper underlying cause -- whether climate change or other factors," he said on Thursday.
From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026
Roberts warned of the "calamities that could arise" if presidents were able to impose their will on the Federal Reserve.
From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026
AI bots, like them or not, are being perfected as personal AI coaches, encouragers, even therapists to counter that voice in your head, especially about climate calamities.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 21, 2026
“A thought came into my mind, that if the contents of the Essay were true, it was time some person should see these calamities to their end.”
From "Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science" by Marc Aronson
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
