as in disaster
a sudden violent event that brings about great loss or destruction
this latest breakdown of the car is inconvenient, but not a calamity
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Recent Examples of calamity
Baltimore held a 4-2 lead with two outs after the Clement calamity.
—
Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 8 June 2026
In her twenties, Goodman married a man named William Snyder, a union that was soon marked by calamity.
—Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
With Al Nassr leading 1-0 in the 98th minute, and Ronaldo awaiting his coronation having been substituted off, a hopeful long throw from Al Hilal ended in calamity as goalkeeper Beto and former Barcelona defender Inigo Martinez collided, inexplicably diverting the ball into their own net.
—Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 21 May 2026
Terra was sued by survivors of the collapse of the Champlain Towers South condo in Surfside who claimed that vibrations from construction of his luxury Eighty-Seven Park tower next door contributed to the calamity.
—Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 18 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for calamity
Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 8 June 2026
In her twenties, Goodman married a man named William Snyder, a union that was soon marked by calamity.
—Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
With Al Nassr leading 1-0 in the 98th minute, and Ronaldo awaiting his coronation having been substituted off, a hopeful long throw from Al Hilal ended in calamity as goalkeeper Beto and former Barcelona defender Inigo Martinez collided, inexplicably diverting the ball into their own net.
—Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 21 May 2026
Terra was sued by survivors of the collapse of the Champlain Towers South condo in Surfside who claimed that vibrations from construction of his luxury Eighty-Seven Park tower next door contributed to the calamity.
—Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 18 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for calamity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for calamity
Noun
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Aemond is a murderer, Aegon is a rapist; if either of them ends up on the Iron Throne for good, that would be a disaster.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
19 June 2026
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On the dusty backroads of Radiator Springs, where Lightning McQueen and his pals live, a shower of meteors threatened to bring destruction upon the quarter-size cars in a scene that disaster movie king Roland Emmerich would endorse.—
Sandra Gonzalez,
CNN Money,
19 June 2026
Noun
-
Horrible things happen all the time, crises and catastrophes that defy language and imagination.—
Karen Valby,
Vanity Fair,
16 June 2026
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But if your concerned friend starts worrying about AI data centers literally causing a worldwide water catastrophe, the actual numbers involved should hopefully put those worries to rest.—
Kyle Orland,
ArsTechnica,
12 June 2026
Noun
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Netflix also has a pair of strong four-hour adaptations in the harrowing Lord of the Flies and the darkly comic political tragedy of Death by Lightning.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
17 June 2026
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Since these leaks are invisible and odorless, a portable carbon monoxide detector is the only way to prevent a tragedy.—
Olivia Young,
Travel + Leisure,
17 June 2026
Noun
-
Could a jobs apocalypse be coming?—
Kamal Ahmed,
Fortune,
15 June 2026
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First contact set on a future Earth trying to recover from a climate apocalypse.—
Brianne Kane,
Scientific American,
12 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Calamity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/calamity. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
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