calamitous

adjective

ca·​lam·​i·​tous kə-ˈla-mə-təs How to pronounce calamitous (audio)
: being, causing, or accompanied by calamity
calamitous events
a calamitous earthquake
calamitously adverb

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In voice messages sent late Thursday, Abu Safiya described calamitous conditions. Wafaa Shurafa and Bassem Mroue, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2024 What can be done to upfront prevent this calamitous situation? Lance Eliot, Forbes, 11 Oct. 2024 Threat level: The storm, now a high-end Category 4, is on course for a calamitous encounter with the 17th-biggest metro area in the U.S. Andrew Freedman, Axios, 8 Oct. 2024 This has never happened, and could be calamitous in a time of Trumpism. Amy Davidson Sorkin, The New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for calamitous 

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of calamitous was in 1545

Dictionary Entries Near calamitous

Cite this Entry

“Calamitous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/calamitous. Accessed 13 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

calamitous

adjective
ca·​lam·​i·​tous kə-ˈlam-ət-əs How to pronounce calamitous (audio)
: causing or accompanied by calamity
calamitous events
calamitously adverb
calamitousness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on calamitous

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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