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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Recent Examples of calamity
Almost as concerning as the calamity in the top of the second inning was the near-disaster that happened in the bottom half, as Will Smith took a foul tip off the back of his right hand and exited the game a half-inning later.
—
Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2025
Many iPhones, Pixel, and Galaxy devices are water-resistant and can survive exposure to liquid (yes, even beer) without calamity.
—Cody Godwin, USA Today, 30 Aug. 2025
Season 2 will likely follow the fallout of that decision and all the calamities that will no doubt arise from it.
—Lucy Ford, Time, 28 Aug. 2025
Toews has long plumbed the calamities and contradictions of her biography in her fiction.
—Kristen Martin, The Atlantic, 27 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for calamity
Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2025
Many iPhones, Pixel, and Galaxy devices are water-resistant and can survive exposure to liquid (yes, even beer) without calamity.
—Cody Godwin, USA Today, 30 Aug. 2025
Season 2 will likely follow the fallout of that decision and all the calamities that will no doubt arise from it.
—Lucy Ford, Time, 28 Aug. 2025
Toews has long plumbed the calamities and contradictions of her biography in her fiction.
—Kristen Martin, The Atlantic, 27 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for calamity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for calamity
Noun
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Bureau staff were told the group itself, already gutted as part of mass layoffs at the State Department in July, would refocus on migration diplomacy and disaster response rather than its traditional refugee focus.—
Ted Hesson,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
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That question frames an episode that opens not with battle, but with the kind of stillness that comes before disaster.—
JP Mangalindan,
Time,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The Dead Don't Die In Jim Jarmusch's absurdist apocalypse comedy, flesh-craving zombies raid the once-tranquil town of Centerville, picking off its residents one by one.—
James Mercadante,
PEOPLE,
4 Sep. 2025
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Though, really, podcasting has been living in this particular post-apocalypse for a while.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
28 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Watts said the child welfare agency also will maintain collaboration with public health officials, law enforcement and treatment providers to prevent tragedies connected to fentanyl and other drugs.—
Laura Bauer,
Kansas City Star,
7 Sep. 2025
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Here is the emphasis on the hardscrabble beginnings and obstacles to be overcome, here is the recognition of a truly raw but once-in-a-lifetime talent that converts the nonbelivers, here are the early wins and the training montages and the tragedies and the comebacks.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
6 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Calamity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/calamity. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
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