noun
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a disaster or misfortune, esp one causing extreme havoc, distress, or misery
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a state or feeling of deep distress or misery
Related Words
See disaster.
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”
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.
Leading a mule train into the tunnels, Ondro faces a calamity that enters the history books.
“I’m new to the area. Just arrived. Chose this spot. Thought it was least likely to bring calamity and destruction upon myself, but you never know for sure, do you?”
From Literature
Martha went on, speaking of different calamities magic had brought, and the gossip about the girl who could turn straw into gold.
From Literature
Mr. Bird carried the weight of a calamity you never get over, and a lot of other weight, too, emerging as one of the most consequential figures in the history of American sport.
He also said that the government had declared a "state of calamity" in Juiz de Fora.
From BBC
Definitions 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.
