calamitous

adjective

ca·​lam·​i·​tous kə-ˈla-mə-təs 

: being, causing, or accompanied by calamity

calamitous events

a calamitous earthquake

calamitously adverb

Synonyms

• cataclysmal
• cataclysmic
• catastrophic
• damning
• destructive
• disastrous
• fatal
• fateful
• ruinous
• unfortunate

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

Last week’s calamitous meeting between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky made clear the disdain Trump has for Zelensky, and Trump’s determination to end the war in Ukraine on terms favorable to Vladimir Putin. —Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 5 Mar. 2025

All our key characters are inching toward catastrophe, whether that’s ending up dead in the water or causing their own calamitous downfall. —Proma Khosla, IndieWire, 2 Mar. 2025

Brazil’s record goalscorer has recently returned to his boyhood club, Santos, after a fairly calamitous spell in Saudi Arabia. —Nick Miller, The Athletic, 26 Feb. 2025

The titular terrain is racked with its own calamitous past, one that haunts its residents. —Marie-Helene Bertino, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2025

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

Kids Definition

calamitous

adjective

ca·​lam·​i·​tous kə-ˈlam-ət-əs 

: causing or accompanied by calamity

calamitous events

calamitously adverb

calamitousness noun