calamitous

adjective

ca·​lam·​i·​tous kə-ˈla-mə-təs 

: being, causing, or accompanied by calamity

calamitous events

a calamitous earthquake

calamitously adverb

Synonyms

• 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

In the three previous visits by Brighton, United have scored via a calamitous Alexis Mac Allister own goal at a corner, a Hannibal Mejbri shot from range, and a Fernandes penalty after Baleba brought down Joshua Zirkzee. —Laurie Whitwell, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2025

Biden’s age became an issue last year after a calamitous debate showing. —Philip Elliott, Time, 21 Oct. 2025

Schitt’s Creek made the calamitous Rose family famous, and their escapades can now be found in one place in Canada. —Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 20 Oct. 2025

Other reforms introduced under Roosevelt included the founding of the Securities and Exchange Commission, which had a mandate to protect investors and maintain fair and orderly markets, and the federal insurance of bank deposits, which ended a calamitous wave of bank runs. —John Cassidy, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025

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