Words / C1

k-uh-LAM-uh-tee/kəˈlæməti/

A calamity is a sudden event that causes great damage or distress: the flood was a calamity. Disaster is the everyday synonym; catastrophe is close and often larger in scale; tragedy stresses human suffering. Calamitous is the adjective. In speech, disaster is almost always enough. The word is slightly literary or journalistic — do not use it for a spilt coffee.

Meaning

A sudden event that causes great damage or distress.

Examples

• “The flood was a calamity for the town.”
• “The factory closure was a calamity for a town with one employer.”
• “They treated a missed bus as a calamity; the real calamity was the lost passport.”

Good to know

A sudden disaster. Everyday: disaster. Close: catastrophe. Adjective: calamitous. Literary/journalistic; not a minor mishap.

Near in meaning

disaster

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