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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of calamity
Iran might end up experiencing a double-digit economic contraction this year—a calamity with little precedent in its modern history.
—
Arash Azizi,
The Atlantic,
10 June 2026
Baltimore held a 4-2 lead with two outs after the Clement calamity.
—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
8 June 2026
In her twenties, Goodman married a man named William Snyder, a union that was soon marked by calamity.
—
Rachel Syme,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
With Al Nassr leading 1-0 in the 98th minute, and Ronaldo awaiting his coronation having been substituted off, a hopeful long throw from Al Hilal ended in calamity as goalkeeper Beto and former Barcelona defender Inigo Martinez collided, inexplicably diverting the ball into their own net.
—
Jordan Campbell,
New York Times,
21 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for calamity
Arash Azizi,
The Atlantic,
10 June 2026
Baltimore held a 4-2 lead with two outs after the Clement calamity.
—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
8 June 2026
In her twenties, Goodman married a man named William Snyder, a union that was soon marked by calamity.
—
Rachel Syme,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
With Al Nassr leading 1-0 in the 98th minute, and Ronaldo awaiting his coronation having been substituted off, a hopeful long throw from Al Hilal ended in calamity as goalkeeper Beto and former Barcelona defender Inigo Martinez collided, inexplicably diverting the ball into their own net.
—
Jordan Campbell,
New York Times,
21 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for calamity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for calamity
Noun
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Given the scale of the disaster, specialized teams from the United States, Mexico, Colombia, Spain, and other countries began mobilizing toward Venezuela in coordination with local authorities and the United Nations.
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It was declared a disaster zone and militarized on Thursday.
Noun
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Days before the five-year anniversary of the 2021 building collapse that killed 98 people in Surfside, the federal government has published findings that determined the structure of the Champlain Towers South condominium started failing about three weeks before the catastrophe.
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Chile introduced a tax deduction for catastrophe insurance premiums and resilience retrofit investment.
Noun
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First a human scores a model’s outputs — say, how likely a character in a drama would be to react to news of a tragedy with a host of jokes or expressions of sympathy — going back with one score after another to various responses.
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The parents of the teen killed in the horse carriage crash in Central Park are remembering their son as rides resume a week after the tragedy.
Noun
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And just when things could not look rosier, the SaaS apocalypse occurred.
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Not for the faint of heart, California’s Salton Sea conjures a sense of apocalypse.
Cite this Entry
“Calamity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/calamity. Accessed 28 Jun. 2026.
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