calamity

[ kuh-lam-i-tee ]
See synonyms for calamity on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural ca·lam·i·ties.
  1. a great misfortune or disaster, as a flood or serious injury.

  2. grievous affliction; adversity; misery: the calamity of war.

Origin of calamity

1
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, but perhaps instead akin to columus “safe,” incolumitās “safety”

synonym study For calamity

1. See disaster.

Other words for calamity

Words Nearby calamity

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use calamity in a sentence

  • She waited for no further formalities, but shaken with the sure foreboding of calamity, turned and fled the room.

    Ancestors | Gertrude Atherton
  • Ethel's understanding perceived, but her mind refused to grasp the extent of the calamity.

    The Daisy Chain | Charlotte Yonge
  • The destruction of Moab is near to come: the calamity thereof shall come on exceeding swiftly.

  • I became keenly aware of the dreadful psychic calamity it involved.

    Three More John Silence Stories | Algernon Blackwood
  • Owing to their strange appearance, comets were to the ancients omens of calamity.

    Outlines of the Earth's History | Nathaniel Southgate Shaler

British Dictionary definitions for calamity

calamity

/ (kəˈlæmɪtɪ) /


nounplural -ties
  1. a disaster or misfortune, esp one causing extreme havoc, distress, or misery

  2. a state or feeling of deep distress or misery

Origin of calamity

1
C15: from French calamité, from Latin calamitās; related to Latin incolumis uninjured

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012