Calamitous
adjective
Causing severe damage or disaster.
A calamitous event that resulted in a huge loss.
Often appears as...
- calamitous event
- calamitous impact
adjective
Causing severe damage or disaster.
A calamitous event that resulted in a huge loss.
Often appears as...
- calamitous event
- calamitous impact
Definition 1 of 1
Pro Tip 1/3Severity Scale
Use 'calamitous' for extremely negative situations, more serious than 'bad' or 'unfortunate.'
The war had calamitous effects on the region.
Pro Tip 2/3Not Personal
'Calamitous' is typically used for large-scale disasters, not personal mishaps.
The earthquake was a calamitous natural disaster.
Pro Tip 3/3Emotional Weight
Using 'calamitous' can evoke strong emotional reactions due to its association with tragedy.
News of the calamitous hurricane spread rapidly.
Compare with
apocalypticcatastrophicdevastatediredisastrousgrievousruinoustragicwoeful
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Video examples
Hunting for dinosaurs...
But this particular reality was not inevitable. The tiniest perturbation of that asteroid far from Earth would have caused it to miss our planet by a wide margin. The pivotal, calamitous day during which the dinosaurs were wiped out, setting the stage for the modern world as we know it didn't have to be. It could've just been another day --
Video examples
Hunting for dinosaurs...
But this particular reality was not inevitable. The tiniest perturbation of that asteroid far from Earth would have caused it to miss our planet by a wide margin. The pivotal, calamitous day during which the dinosaurs were wiped out, setting the stage for the modern world as we know it didn't have to be. It could've just been another day --
Example 1 of 1
Quote examples
Dick Cavett
American Entertainer
Anyone working in the media can tell you that there seems to be an always-ready-to-explode segment of the populace for whom offense is a fate worse than anything imaginable. You'd think offense is one of the most calamitous things that could happen to a human being; right up there with the loss of a limb, or just missing a parking space.
Quote examples
Owen Jones
British Journalist
In the 1980s, the trade unions suffered a series of calamitous setbacks. Mass unemployment terrified workers into not risking the wrath of bosses. Repressive anti-union laws stunted the ability of workers to organise and defend their rights.
Quote examples
Michael Portillo
British Journalist
If a prince marries a foreign princess, one to the manner born, he is being snobbish and old-fashioned. If he chooses a Diana or a Fergie, glamorous outsiders, they may never adapt to the restrictions of being Royal, with calamitous results.
Quote examples
Zbigniew Brzezinski
American Politician
The financial catastrophe of 2008 nearly precipitated a calamitous economic depression, jolting America and much of the West into a sudden recognition of their systemic vulnerability to unregulated greed.
Quote examples
Josh Radnor
American Director
An obsessive attention to the news, I've realized, only serves to paint a picture of the world as a throbbing blob of dysfunction, most news falling somewhere on a scale from disappointing to calamitous.
Quote examples
Gil Kane
American Artist
But generally speaking, people weren't fired, art jobs were very hard to get, so something really calamitous had to happen to a person who was working there in order for you to find a space.
Quote examples
Howard Jacobson
British Novelist
The death of an Italian tailor might not be calamitous in Catania or Cagliari, but the loss to Soho is immeasurable. We don't have Italian tailors we can spare here.
Quote examples
Zbigniew Brzezinski
American Politician
One-sided national economic triumphs cannot be achieved in the increasingly interwoven global economy without precipitating calamitous consequences for everyone.
Quote examples
Ram Nath Kovind
Indian Politician
Humankind is no stranger to calamitous outbreaks of diseases.
Quote examples
Dick Cavett
American Entertainer
Anyone working in the media can tell you that there seems to be an always-ready-to-explode segment of the populace for whom offense is a fate worse than anything imaginable. You'd think offense is one of the most calamitous things that could happen to a human being; right up there with the loss of a limb, or just missing a parking space.
Quote examples
Owen Jones
British Journalist
In the 1980s, the trade unions suffered a series of calamitous setbacks. Mass unemployment terrified workers into not risking the wrath of bosses. Repressive anti-union laws stunted the ability of workers to organise and defend their rights.
Quote examples
Michael Portillo
British Journalist
If a prince marries a foreign princess, one to the manner born, he is being snobbish and old-fashioned. If he chooses a Diana or a Fergie, glamorous outsiders, they may never adapt to the restrictions of being Royal, with calamitous results.
Quote examples
Zbigniew Brzezinski
American Politician
The financial catastrophe of 2008 nearly precipitated a calamitous economic depression, jolting America and much of the West into a sudden recognition of their systemic vulnerability to unregulated greed.
Quote examples
Josh Radnor
American Director
An obsessive attention to the news, I've realized, only serves to paint a picture of the world as a throbbing blob of dysfunction, most news falling somewhere on a scale from disappointing to calamitous.
Quote examples
Gil Kane
American Artist
But generally speaking, people weren't fired, art jobs were very hard to get, so something really calamitous had to happen to a person who was working there in order for you to find a space.
Quote examples
Howard Jacobson
British Novelist
The death of an Italian tailor might not be calamitous in Catania or Cagliari, but the loss to Soho is immeasurable. We don't have Italian tailors we can spare here.
Quote examples
Zbigniew Brzezinski
American Politician
One-sided national economic triumphs cannot be achieved in the increasingly interwoven global economy without precipitating calamitous consequences for everyone.
Quote examples
Ram Nath Kovind
Indian Politician
Humankind is no stranger to calamitous outbreaks of diseases.
Example 1 of 9
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