calamitous

adjective

kə-ˈla-mə-təs How to pronounce calamitous (audio)
Definition of calamitousnext
1
as in disastrous
bringing about ruin or misfortune a calamitous decision to sell their products online exclusively ruined the business

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in devastating
causing or tending to cause destruction a calamitous flood that destroyed the town's central business district

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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 calamitous Brown was married at the church altar in the spring of ‘93, months before that calamitous summer. — Andrew Carter, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026 The entire season to that point had taken place over the course of one evening, and, in a breath of fresh air, the finale spans the days following that calamitous — but ultimately successful — service. — Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 26 June 2026 His grief was crushing, paralyzing, calamitous. — Lois K. Solomon, Sun Sentinel, 22 June 2026 There was an irony, then, that Romo was responsible for their winning goal — profiting from a calamitous defensive mix-up between South Korean goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu and defender Lee Gi-hyuk in the 50th minute. — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 19 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for calamitous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for calamitous
  1. disastrous
  2. devastating
  3. fatal
  4. destructive
  5. unfortunate
  6. catastrophic
Adjective
  • Following a disastrous 3-14 season, the Jets selected three players in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
    — Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Experiments In Offline Dating by Kat Mackenzie Maya Davis travels to Ireland to find love the old-fashioned way for her dating podcast, only to endure the most disastrous blind date of her life with a gruff sheep farmer.
    — Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 31 July 2026
Definition of disastrous
Adjective
  • What began as one employee's devastating loss quickly grew into a community-wide effort to help earthquake victims in Venezuela.
    — Jasmine Arenas, CBS News, 31 July 2026
  • Robert Bush, 48, was sentenced at Hull Crown Court in northeastern England after a five-day hearing in which more than 200 victims described the devastating impact of his crimes.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 31 July 2026
Definition of devastating
Adjective
  • Bush and Bell both honed their leadership skills in Ferguson amid the racial unrest that followed the fatal shooting of Michael Brown by a police officer in 2014.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 Aug. 2026
  • The certification — and several more Boeing is targeting this year — are crucial in getting the company back to profitability, after two fatal crashes months apart in 2018 helped European rival Airbus pull ahead in global plane deliveries.
    — semafor.com, semafor.com, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of fatal
Adjective
  • The blaze in Spokane County is unfolding during a wildfire year that so far has been historically destructive across the United States.
    — Martin Goillandeau, CNN Money, 2 Aug. 2026
  • The Associated Press reported in December that two NATO-nation intelligence services suspect Russia is developing a new anti-satellite weapon to target Musk’s Starlink constellation with destructive orbiting clouds of shrapnel.
    — Lisa Mascaro, Fortune, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of destructive
Adjective
  • No, this unfortunate moniker represents the lack of attention to and awareness of the disease.
    — Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
  • Typically, when rookies put up gaudy numbers in Las Vegas, their stats are accompanied by unfortunate shooting percentages or a bevy of turnovers, but that wasn’t the case for Burries.
    — Eric Nehm, New York Times, 19 July 2026
Definition of unfortunate
Adjective
  • As humanity contemplates the potentially catastrophic effects of climate change, Sulej says the story of the Mastodonsaurus offers some hope.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 22 July 2026
  • The last major hurricane to hit Miami-Dade County was the catastrophic Hurricane Andrew in 1992, but the city did not take a direct hit.
    — Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 21 July 2026
Definition of catastrophic

Browse Nearby Words

calamities
calamitous
calamity
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Cite this Entry

“Calamitous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/calamitous. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of calamitous for Spanish Speakers

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