noun
-
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:
They plan for calamity and how they’d bounce back.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 12, 2026
White House reporters, meanwhile, are preparing for the day — perhaps a day when they serve as pool reporter — when they get the call about a calamity befalling the president.
From Salon ● Jun. 26, 2026
A more immediate calamity could be fertilizer shortages as India, where two-thirds of the population is still rural, heads into its June-July planting season timed to the summer monsoon, Pramanik says.
From Barron's ● May 21, 2026
To paraphrase some anonymous wag, never let a cross-cultural calamity go to waste.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 2026
His ears leaned sidelong off his head like holstered pistols, and above them waved a calamity of black hair that mortified him.
From "Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand
Scotland don't just concede goals, they create calamities - the sort of slapstick defending that a player such as Vini Jr is waiting to take advantage of.
From BBC ● Jun. 25, 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
Databases such as Court Listener have a growing list of rulings on AI-generated calamities in the US courts.
From Barron's ● Jun. 15, 2026
They materialize in the kitchen year after year, radiating earnest goodwill, and yet somehow leave a trail of small calamities in their wake.
From Salon ● Nov. 25, 2025
In the shadow of your wings will I make my refuge until these calamities shall be overcome.
From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar
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.