CALAMITIES Synonyms: 32 Similar and Opposite Words

calamities

noun

plural of calamity

as in disasters

a sudden violent event that brings about great loss or destruction this latest breakdown of the car is inconvenient, but not a calamity

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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.

Recent Examples of calamities At the heart of the celebration is Kyoto’s Yasaka Shrine, a Shinto site whose principal deity has long been revered as a protector against calamities. — ABC News, 19 July 2026 El Niño, which brings a potpourri of weather calamities, is the world's most significant climate pattern, costing the global economy trillions of dollars per year, according to a recent study. — Doyle Rice, USA Today, 16 July 2026 There have been few comments about improvements or calamities, other than the usual notes that battery life was reduced immediately after installation, which is commonplace. — David Phelan, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026 To grade the 50 states and the District of Columbia on their relative natural disaster risks, five measures were developed that account for the frequency and damage of calamities, weighted against population and geographic size. — Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 21 June 2026 In early times, most humans barely paid attention to weather calamities because the region was so sparsely populated. — Martin E. Comas, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 June 2026 Madonna has made music through various calamities that at the time felt world-ending — wars, political unrest, financial collapse — so the terrors of 2026 don’t seem to faze her. — Scottie Andrew, CNN Money, 2 June 2026 The winter had been a season of calamities, with one emergency or challenge after another. — Moira McCarthy, Boston Herald, 10 May 2026 Farmers markets — that humble and charming throwback to a bygone era — are also struggling with higher fuel prices, after weathering the economic calamities of the pandemic and other misfortunes. — Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for calamities

Noun

Political pressure to move on is common after disasters, said Runkle, who has been studying recovery in North Carolina after Hurricane Helene.

— Angus Chen, STAT, 22 July 2026
Although the research is focused on veterans, any breakthrough could extend far beyond them to survivors of assault, accidents, disasters and other forms of trauma.

— Ethan Millman, HollywoodReporter, 22 July 2026

Definition of disasters

Noun

Prominent voices fear that the end result of the transformative technology is a job bloodbath and national security catastrophes, while others believe a new era of productivity is ready to be unlocked, with society living longer and healthier lives.

— Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 3 July 2026
Healthcare registers the effects of climate catastrophes, ecosystem failures and food shortages that also fuel political and social crises.

— Ginny Whitelaw, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026

Definition of catastrophes

Noun

The mother, identified only as Barbara, shared her story exclusively with CBS News Miami to highlight the recent rise in similar tragedies in South Florida.

— Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 22 July 2026
The organization also encouraged anyone affected by the tragedies to seek support through the British Eventing Support Trust Helpline and asked that the families’ privacy be respected during this difficult time.

— Angelique Brenes, PEOPLE, 21 July 2026

Definition of tragedies

Noun

Based on Thornton Wilder’s The Skin of Our Teeth, the surrealist musical follows one nuclear family across thousands of years and three apocalypses.

— Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 10 Dec. 2025
And a lot of the pseudepigrapha, like the fake gospels and fake apocalypses, fill in gaps in the record that can serve latter-day, post-biblical purposes.

— JSTOR Daily, JSTOR Daily, 16 Oct. 2025

Definition of apocalypses

Browse Nearby Words

calabooses

calamities

calamitous

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“Calamities.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/calamities. Accessed 26 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of calamities

noun

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