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Glite Dictionary
calamitous

calamitous

6 7.9
An event that causes great harm or loss
  • adjective
  • /kəˈlæmɪtəs/
translation icon : calamitoso
  • The calamitous hurricane caused extensive damage to the coastal towns, leaving many families homeless.
  • a calamitous event
  • calamitous effects

And that's usually leads to some either calamitous outcome or government bailouts.

Examples

  • Saddled with an unstable mother and alcoholic father, Lillian and her siblings struggle to rise above their calamitous environment.

    Academic text (2007)

  • The effects of the biological encounter were calamitous for American Indians.

    Academic text (1992)

  • For a few weeks, nothing calamitous or dramatic happens.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • Because such a calamitous storm has not been recorded recently.

    Academic text (1990)

  • The street seemed normal enough, and I was aware that I didn't believe anything truly calamitous could happen to me.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • The consequences for academic institutions of these views have been calamitous, and nowhere more so than in the humanities.

    Academic text (2000)

  • What follows is an account of their calamitous adventures... and how a kind and steady heart... can mend a sorry world.

    Babe: Pig in the City (1998)

  • Chances are that if countries begin deploying geoengineering systems, it will be because calamitous climate change is near at hand.

    Academic text (2009)

  • Mr. President, you came to office promising peace, but no sooner did you get into the White House than US involvement in Vietnam deepened and the war was prolonged with calamitous consequences.

    Frost/Nixon (2008)

  • Doctors began to report, not surprisingly, that adult patients regarded even moderate sleep disturbances as "calamitous," requiring immediate remedy and redress.

    Academic text (1996)

Synonyms

devastating
vscalamitous
224 5.1

Causing very great damage or sadness

is similar but can be less extreme or less overwhelming
catastrophic
vscalamitous
144 7.0

Causing very great damage or harm

is similar but may not always imply suddenness
disastrous
vscalamitous
126 3.5

Causing very great harm, suffering, or failure

is broader, covering harm or misfortune beyond single events
fatal
vscalamitous
64 3.9

Causing very serious harm or ruin

covers great harm but not necessarily decisive or final outcomes
cataclysmic
vscalamitous
22 9.1

Causing sudden very great damage to people, buildings or land

can describe serious harm without implying violent change
ruinous
vscalamitous
10 7.0

Causing very serious harm to people or businesses

is more general, not limited to financial or lasting ruin
baneful
vscalamitous
  • Formal
1 9.1

Causing great harm or serious damage

is similar but does not stress an especially strong harmful tone
cataclysmal
vscalamitous
9.9

Causing very large, sudden destruction that changes a place

is similar but can apply to misfortune without huge upheaval

Antonyms

beneficial
138 3.4

Making something better or producing a good result

advantageous
27 3.5

Helping you get a better result

How Disastrous

catastrophic
144 7.0
calamitous
6 7.9
damaging
80 3.1
harmful
161 2.6

Surface Forms

calamitous positive

Morphology

calamitous = calamity (transparent) = calamit + ous

Formed by a regular adjectival suffix '-ous' on the noun 'calamity', so the meaning is directly predictable.

Etymology

Calamitous comes from the Latin calamitas ('damage' or 'loss'), and you can see the same root in the English word calamity, so imagine a whole year's harvest ruined. So a calamitous event is one that causes great harm or a big disaster.