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
Colorado went 43-119, a record that belongs in a museum exhibit beside other modern-era calamities, behind glass.
—
Jenny Catlin, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2026
There were intervening calamities that Walz, Ellison and Omar had nothing to do with, COVID-19 and the death of George Floyd.
—Joe Soucheray, Twin Cities, 7 Mar. 2026
The apocalypse Rosi presents is not just the legendary one that destroyed the ancient Roman town of the film’s title but an ongoing one that encompasses the calamities of our modern era as well as the rejuvenation that sometimes accompanies destruction.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2026
What Trump is most certainly reviewing is the viability of Noem as a Cabinet secretary, who has rapidly become a scapegoat for the predictable calamities of the high-visibility deployment of border guards as SWAT troops in urban centers.
—Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 27 Jan. 2026
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
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
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
Jenny Catlin, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2026
There were intervening calamities that Walz, Ellison and Omar had nothing to do with, COVID-19 and the death of George Floyd.
—Joe Soucheray, Twin Cities, 7 Mar. 2026
The apocalypse Rosi presents is not just the legendary one that destroyed the ancient Roman town of the film’s title but an ongoing one that encompasses the calamities of our modern era as well as the rejuvenation that sometimes accompanies destruction.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2026
What Trump is most certainly reviewing is the viability of Noem as a Cabinet secretary, who has rapidly become a scapegoat for the predictable calamities of the high-visibility deployment of border guards as SWAT troops in urban centers.
—Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 27 Jan. 2026
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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for calamities
Noun
-
At least 844 people died in what was one of the worst maritime disasters in American history.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
-
All of these downtowns are traffic disasters.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In 1941, Japan’s Pearl Harbor surprise attack triggered a nearly 2-year chain of American military catastrophes.—
Gil Troy,
New York Daily News,
29 Mar. 2026
-
But the effects on Qatar’s economy and global energy markets were profound, offering a glimpse of the catastrophes that might follow a broader Iranian military campaign against energy facilities across the Persian Gulf.—
Shane Harris,
The Atlantic,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Conrad said tragedies like the one that took Altman’s life remind him and other firefighters of the job’s danger.—
Madeline King,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Caroline, as an ambassador of her family’s dynasty, has to offer condolences while keeping a stiff upper lip, only able to work through the latest of many tragedies in her life internally.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
27 Mar. 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
-
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 6 Apr. 2026.
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