calamitous

adjective

ca·​lam·​i·​tous kə-ˈla-mə-təs 

: being, causing, or accompanied by calamity

calamitous events

a calamitous earthquake

calamitously adverb

Synonyms of calamitous

• disastrous
• fatal
• unfortunate
• catastrophic

Examples of calamitous in a Sentence

the calamitous state of the nation's economy

a calamitous decision to sell their products online exclusively ruined the business

Recent Examples on the Web

That same year produced one of the most calamitous nights in tournament history. — Douglas Robson, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026

The algorithm, Algo to its friends, put a calamitous opening day behind it to the season with a solid four out of 10. — Oliver Kay, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026

This is aside from the calamitous damage that the wars have wrought on Israel’s international reputation. — Amos Harel, Foreign Affairs, 2 Sep. 2026

For decades, scientists have been warning us about the calamitous consequences of climate change. — Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 20 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French calamiteux "suffering misfortune, miserable," borrowed from Latin calamitōsus "liable to damage or disaster, afflicted by disaster, ill-starred, involving damage or disaster, ruinous," by haplology from *calamitātōsus, from calamitāt-, calamitās "disaster, misfortune, calamity" + -ōsus -ous

First Known Use

1545, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

calamitous

adjective

ca·​lam·​i·​tous kə-ˈlam-ət-əs 

: causing or accompanied by calamity

calamitous events

calamitously adverb

calamitousness noun