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
The calamities of war shuttered many of the earliest kissa, as entire collections of jazz records were lost.
—
Nneka M. Okona, Bon Appetit Magazine, 21 Jan. 2026
But even if all those calamities come to pass, hey, Thomas still loves his partner.
—Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 15 Jan. 2026
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
Nneka M. Okona, Bon Appetit Magazine, 21 Jan. 2026
But even if all those calamities come to pass, hey, Thomas still loves his partner.
—Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 15 Jan. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for calamities
Noun
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An extended shutdown could put more pressure on that fund, especially if FEMA must respond to new disasters.—
Meg Kinnard,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Jan. 2026
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And more extreme weather means costlier disasters for American communities, from tracking warning signs to running clean up in the aftermath.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
However, within resources available, countries can build disaster and health response capabilities to mitigate physical and biological catastrophes.—
Edward Lotterman,
Twin Cities,
18 Jan. 2026
-
An observer of catastrophes, come what may.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Some Minnesotans reacted with doubt and concern to Homan’s announcement Thursday, as many residents’ trust in law enforcement has been eroded by the killings of two residents, weeks of clashes and a troubled history of high-profile tragedies.—
Elizabeth Wolfe,
CNN Money,
30 Jan. 2026
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Their songs have a way of leveling the playing field between tiny frustrations that make up a run-of-the-mill bad day and life-altering tragedies that render previous bad days unmemorable.—
Grace Robins-Somerville,
Pitchfork,
30 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 4 Feb. 2026.
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