as in disaster
a sudden violent event that brings about great loss or destruction
this latest breakdown of the car is inconvenient, but not a calamity
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of calamity
John Castle’s journey, full of one existential calamity after another, would challenge any human’s resolve.
—
Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 27 Mar. 2026
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
The hawks have comforted themselves with the thought that such a calamity won’t occur.
—Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2026
For years at a time, Jessie Krebs has lived on the edge — of civilization, of personal safety, and of calamity.
—Andrew McKean, Outdoor Life, 19 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for calamity
Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 27 Mar. 2026
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
The hawks have comforted themselves with the thought that such a calamity won’t occur.
—Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2026
For years at a time, Jessie Krebs has lived on the edge — of civilization, of personal safety, and of calamity.
—Andrew McKean, Outdoor Life, 19 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for calamity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for calamity
Noun
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Taken to an extreme, an ever-evolving idea of retirement could outlive drastic institutional change, perhaps enduring longer than the institutions of American democracy or beyond climate disaster.—
Trevor Jackson,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
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Steve DeJong will retire from the Homewood Fire Department after more than two decades to accept a position at MABAS Illinois, the statewide mutual aid and disaster response coordinator.—
Evy Lewis,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
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In January 2025, 41-year-old Plaza was struck by tragedy when her husband was found dead by suicide inside his Los Angeles home.—
Jessica Schladebeck,
New York Daily News,
8 Apr. 2026
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Deadly boat tragedies are common in the central African country, where late-night travels and overcrowded vessels are often blamed.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
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But none of this means the robot apocalypse is imminent.—
Catherina Gioino,
Fortune,
6 Apr. 2026
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With its mix of Norse mythology, eighteenth-century cryptozoology, nineteenth-century science fiction, and the biblical apocalypse, the poem tells of something tragic and mysterious lying just beyond the bounds of human knowing.—
Kathryn Hughes,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Calamity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/calamity. Accessed 10 Apr. 2026.
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