Twenty two years passed. Twenty-two years of excellent health and the boundless self-assurance that flows from being fit—twenty-two years spared the adversary that is illness and the calamity that waits in the wings.—Phillip Roth, Everyman, 2006A resentment born of the suspicion that all along the media were up to their usual tricks, hyping a national calamity to the max in order to make us buy more copies and tune into TV specials …—Christopher Buckley, Time, 29 Nov. 1999In the wake of this year's unending calamities, there has been renewed discussion of the need for an international rapid deployment force that can kick down doors to help victims of disasters.—Kathleen Hunt, New York Times Magazine, 28 July 1991
floods, earthquakes, and other calamities
He predicted calamity for the economy.
Recent Examples on the WebAnd even slow-moving calamities like rising seas are forcing communities to adapt to changing landscapes.—Justine Calma, The Verge, 12 Apr. 2024 The state views the risk of calamity as low and the cost of preventing it to be high.—Mike Baker, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2024 See all Example Sentences for calamity
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'calamity.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Middle English calamytey, from Latin calamitat-, calamitas; perhaps akin to Latin clades destruction
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