calamitous

adjective

ca·​lam·​i·​tous kə-ˈla-mə-təs How to pronounce calamitous (audio)
Synonyms of calamitousnext
: being, causing, or accompanied by calamity
calamitous events
a calamitous earthquake
calamitously adverb

Examples of calamitous in a Sentence

the calamitous state of the nation's economy a calamitous decision to sell their products online exclusively ruined the business
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Prior to the calamitous war following the attacks of October 7, 2023, Israel fought five wars with Hamas, between 2008 and 2021. Bernard Avishai, New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2026 Tudor announced before the game that, in Tottenham’s desperate state, the Premier League would take precedence over the Champions League — the one competition where Spurs have not been totally calamitous this term. Elias Burke, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2026 Earth has long been deemed safe from a calamitous collision with a certain small asteroid in 2032. Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 9 Mar. 2026 With a calamitous season now in the books, the Damon Stoudamire era at Georgia Tech is over after only three seasons, the school announced Sunday. Ken Sugiura, AJC.com, 8 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for calamitous

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French calamiteux "suffering misfortune, miserable," borrowed from Latin calamitōsus "liable to damage or disaster, afflicted by disaster, ill-starred, involving damage or disaster, ruinous," by haplology from *calamitātōsus, from calamitāt-, calamitās "disaster, misfortune, calamity" + -ōsus -ous

First Known Use

1545, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of calamitous was in 1545

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Calamitous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/calamitous. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.

Kids Definition

calamitous

adjective
ca·​lam·​i·​tous kə-ˈlam-ət-əs How to pronounce calamitous (audio)
: causing or accompanied by calamity
calamitous events
calamitously adverb
calamitousness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on calamitous

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster