Twenty two years passed. Twenty-two years of excellent health and the boundless self-assurance that flows from being fit—twenty-two years spared the adversary that is illness and the calamity that waits in the wings.—Phillip Roth, Everyman, 2006A resentment born of the suspicion that all along the media were up to their usual tricks, hyping a national calamity to the max in order to make us buy more copies and tune into TV specials …—Christopher Buckley, Time, 29 Nov. 1999In the wake of this year's unending calamities, there has been renewed discussion of the need for an international rapid deployment force that can kick down doors to help victims of disasters.—Kathleen Hunt, New York Times Magazine, 28 July 1991
floods, earthquakes, and other calamities
He predicted calamity for the economy.
Recent Examples on the WebThat should have been a flashing red light for the Biden campaign this year even before the president’s debate calamity.—Max Boot, Washington Post, 8 July 2024 Men bring calamity onto themselves with their fragile egos.—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2024 Fortunately, no disaster or calamity has been linked to the incident.—Stephen C. George, Discover Magazine, 18 June 2024 Many Chinese officials saw the global recession of that era not only as a calamity made in the United States but also as a symbol of the transition of the world economy from American to Chinese leadership.—Odd Arne Westad, Foreign Affairs, 13 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for calamity
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'calamity.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Middle English calamytey, from Latin calamitat-, calamitas; perhaps akin to Latin clades destruction
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