1
as in disastrous
bringing about ruin or misfortune
a calamitous decision to sell their products online exclusively ruined the business
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
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Recent Examples of calamitous
His coastal senate district includes Pacific Palisades, one of the Los Angeles neighborhoods that burned in the calamitous January wildfires.
—
Nicole Nixon, Sacbee.com, 17 Sep. 2025
After his calamitous first inning, Warren did not allow another run through the end of the fifth.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 15 Sep. 2025
Call it a valiant, optimistic, perhaps even a calamitous misreading.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2025
Under pressure, Boeing followed, but its approach proved calamitous.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 17 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for calamitous
Nicole Nixon, Sacbee.com, 17 Sep. 2025
After his calamitous first inning, Warren did not allow another run through the end of the fifth.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 15 Sep. 2025
Call it a valiant, optimistic, perhaps even a calamitous misreading.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2025
Under pressure, Boeing followed, but its approach proved calamitous.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 17 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for calamitous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for calamitous
Adjective
-
Moulton’s Senate primary rationale, stated or otherwise, rests on the enduring public image of former President Joe Biden, who withdrew from his 2024 reelection bid after a disastrous debate against Trump revealed limitations of being in office at age 82 and beyond.—
David Mark,
The Washington Examiner,
3 Oct. 2025
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No one has been sent home or saved because of a disastrous technical.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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That’s a devastating blow because Pionk’s second-pair success is somewhat dependent on having Samberg as his partner.—
Harman Dayal,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
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That devastating loss solidified the TV personality’s resolve to use her platform not just as entertainment, but as a lifeline to stand beside fellow survivors and to create tangible resources through her non-profit, the Big Heart Foundation.—
Essence,
Essence,
6 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The crossover came amid recent turmoil, including Colbert’s show being canceled by in July and Kimmel's temporary suspension by ABC in September following controversial comments about the fatal shooting of political activist Charlie Kirk.—
Megan Cartwright,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
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And one expert has suggested that steel or concrete barriers can also help guard against deadly attacks like the one in Grand Blanc Township, as well as unintentional fatal wrecks and may even help businesses stave off plaintiff lawsuits.—
Frank Witsil,
Freep.com,
1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
All the rest are likely to shine in movies by good directors, and most actors whose reputations aren’t illustriously artistic have mainly been unfortunate in their collaborations.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
30 Sep. 2025
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Irish butter may now an internationally marketable commodity, but in Swift’s day, the Irish peasantry fought back against their replacement by cattle by maiming and driving the unfortunate cattle off cliffs.—
Matthew Wills,
JSTOR Daily,
30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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When the federal government reached an agreement with Alabama officials last October to address destructive flooding in the predominantly Black Shiloh community, residents thought their calls for help had finally been answered.—
Maia Rosenfeld,
ABC News,
1 Oct. 2025
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Smart fabric for roads Road maintenance has long relied on visible surface wear or destructive core drilling to assess deeper damage.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The floods will return – and some will be catastrophic.—
Alaa Elassar,
CNN Money,
1 Oct. 2025
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The law defines catastrophic risk narrowly as incidents potentially causing 50+ deaths or $1 billion in damage through weapons assistance, autonomous criminal acts, or loss of control.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
30 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Calamitous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/calamitous. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
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