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
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
The end result has been calamitous for the company’s bottom line. Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 4 Nov. 2024 A week before Biden’s calamitous June debate that put in motion the drumbeat that marched him aside, Trump was polling 10 points ahead. Philip Elliott, TIME, 8 Aug. 2024 Because House of the Dragon is working from a source text, which is itself a deliberately sketchy precursor to a different foundational story, all the eventual outcomes have been decided and every calamitous step on that road is already laid out. Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 5 Aug. 2024 Multiple climatic tipping points could also be triggered, pushing Earth systems from relatively stable states into dramatically different ones, with potentially calamitous consequences. Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 24 Oct. 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 14 Nov. 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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