Calamity
/kəˈlæməti/
nounIntermediateCommonGeneral
Meaning
Questions
Definitions
1
A serious event causing distress or misfortune.
/kəˈlæməti/
nounnegativeIntermediate
General
An event causing great and often sudden damage or distress; a disaster.
The hurricane caused widespread calamity.
💡 Simply: A big problem or disaster.
More Examples
2
The stock market crash was a national calamity.
How It's Used
News Reporting
"The earthquake was a terrible calamity."
Literature
"The novel depicts a series of calamities that befall the protagonist."
From Middle French calamité, from Late Latin calamitas, from Latin calamus ('reed'), referring to the stalks of reeds being broken or damaged.
Historically, 'calamity' was used to describe a wide range of misfortunes, from natural disasters to personal setbacks.
Memory tip
Imagine a reed (calamus) snapping, representing sudden misfortune.
Practice
calamatycallamity
Usage
20%Spoken
80%Written