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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Recent Examples of calamities
Massive radiation storms, earthquakes, and other calamities continue to make the outside world highly dangerous.
—
Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2026
Not so much for most of the thousands of people displaced a year ago by the twin fire calamities that hit the east and west ends of Los Angeles County.
—James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2026
And a few novels nod to the future, imagining how life will change—or already has—as technology advances and calamities accrue.
—The Atlantic, 4 Dec. 2025
The members of the country's urban search and rescue teams save lives and recover human remains after the biggest calamities.
—Rebecca Hersher, NPR, 4 Dec. 2025
Whereas much of the original play unfolds as a steady stream of callers to the Tesmans’ estate, DaCosta cleverly restages these various interpersonal calamities against the backdrop of a lavish party.
—Abby Monteil, Them., 28 Oct. 2025
The piling on of hurdles, unforeseen challenges, and calamities is almost ridiculous.
—Frederick Dreier, Outside, 7 Oct. 2025
In the episode, eight of the nine ringers suffer calamities on the eve of the game which preclude their participation, with Sax held on comically-unfounded suspicion of committing approximately 600 murders in the New York City area.
—Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 28 Sep. 2025
These calamities drastically reduce the genetic diversity in a group.
—The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 25 Sep. 2025
Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2026
Not so much for most of the thousands of people displaced a year ago by the twin fire calamities that hit the east and west ends of Los Angeles County.
—James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2026
And a few novels nod to the future, imagining how life will change—or already has—as technology advances and calamities accrue.
—The Atlantic, 4 Dec. 2025
The members of the country's urban search and rescue teams save lives and recover human remains after the biggest calamities.
—Rebecca Hersher, NPR, 4 Dec. 2025
Whereas much of the original play unfolds as a steady stream of callers to the Tesmans’ estate, DaCosta cleverly restages these various interpersonal calamities against the backdrop of a lavish party.
—Abby Monteil, Them., 28 Oct. 2025
The piling on of hurdles, unforeseen challenges, and calamities is almost ridiculous.
—Frederick Dreier, Outside, 7 Oct. 2025
In the episode, eight of the nine ringers suffer calamities on the eve of the game which preclude their participation, with Sax held on comically-unfounded suspicion of committing approximately 600 murders in the New York City area.
—Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 28 Sep. 2025
These calamities drastically reduce the genetic diversity in a group.
—The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 25 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for calamities
Noun
-
The Packers had seen their season end in two of the last three postseasons in part because of special teams disasters, and Saturday night was no different.—
The Athletic NFL Staff,
New York Times,
12 Jan. 2026
-
Overall, the nation suffered a staggering 23 separate weather and climate disasters in 2025, each of which cost over $1 billion in damages.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
10 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
An observer of catastrophes, come what may.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Jan. 2026
-
Across their nearly 100-year football rivalry, USC and Notre Dame have only paused their annual matchup for global catastrophes like World War II and the Covid-19 pandemic.—
Austin Turner,
CBS News,
22 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Different tragedies, but the same grief for a community betrayed by the people who were supposed to protect and serve.—
Jennifer Brooks,
Mercury News,
9 Jan. 2026
-
The book captures powerfully the rich possibilities that lie between integrity and despair, as Sybil reckons with the fallout of her life’s tragedies.—
Shruti Mutalik,
Baltimore Sun,
7 Jan. 2026
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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Calamities.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/calamities. Accessed 15 Jan. 2026.
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