calamity

noun

ca·​lam·​i·​ty kə-ˈla-mə-tē How to pronounce calamity (audio)
plural calamities
Synonyms of calamity
1
: a disastrous event marked by great loss and lasting distress and suffering
calamities of nature
an economic calamity
2
: a state of deep distress or misery caused by major misfortune or loss

Synonyms of calamity

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Examples of calamity in a Sentence

Twenty two years passed. Twenty-two years of excellent health and the boundless self-assurance that flows from being fit—twenty-two years spared the adversary that is illness and the calamity that waits in the wings. —Phillip Roth, Everyman, 2006
A resentment born of the suspicion that all along the media were up to their usual tricks, hyping a national calamity to the max in order to make us buy more copies and tune into TV specials … —Christopher Buckley, Time, 29 Nov. 1999
In the wake of this year's unending calamities, there has been renewed discussion of the need for an international rapid deployment force that can kick down doors to help victims of disasters. —Kathleen Hunt, New York Times Magazine, 28 July 1991
floods, earthquakes, and other calamities He predicted calamity for the economy.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Young Pavi and her twin sister, Nisha, live in a world that no longer sees the Avatar as humanity’s savior after it was devastated by a calamity. — Maira Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026 The flooding in Nepal is yet another calamity for a country grimly accustomed to crisis and upheaval. — Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2026 The ads’ claims of calamity are certain to be contested by the union backing the tax, SEIU United Healthworkers West. — Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 25 Aug. 2026 Indeed, conflict and calamities are major factors in financial repression. — Jason Ma, Fortune, 23 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for calamity

Word History

Etymology

Middle English calamytey, borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French calamité, borrowed from Latin calamitāt-, calamitās "disaster, misfortune, military defeat," going back to an unattested adjective *calamo- or *calami-, presumably, "injured, affected by misfortune or defeat" + -tāt-, -tās -TY; *calamo-/*calami- perhaps going back to Indo-European *kl̥h2-em-o/i-, adjective derivative from a verbal base *kelh2- "hit, strike" — more at clastic

Note: Later Roman writers associated calamitās by folk etymology with calamus "reed, cane," taking it to literally mean "plague affecting crops." A negated form of the Latin adjective underlying calamitās can be seen in the word incolumis "unharmed, safe and sound, undamaged," going back to *enkalamis. (The second -a- was presumably weakened to -i- and then backed and rounded to -u- before a labial consonant, with the first -a-, now in the second syllable, reducing and rounding to -o- before velar l.) Initial -aCa- in calamitās, rather than -aCi- by vowel weakening, is most likely the result of the so-called alacer rule, by which a short vowel in an open medial syllable retains its quality if it is identical to the vowel of the initial syllable (the word alacer "brisk, lively" exemplifying the rule—compare allegro entry 2).

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of calamity was in the 15th century

Rhymes for calamity

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Browse Nearby Words

calamitous
calamity
calamity howler
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Cite this Entry

“Calamity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/calamity. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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Kids Definition

calamity

noun
ca·​lam·​i·​ty kə-ˈlam-ət-ē How to pronounce calamity (audio)
plural calamities
1
: deep distress or misery
2
: an event that causes great harm
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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