1
Core quality
Causing or involving great damage, suffering, failure, or disaster.
Example
The crop failure had calamitous effects on the region.
calamitous
/kəˈlæmɪtəs/ · kuh-LAM-ih-tusadjective
Causing or involving great damage, suffering, failure, or disaster.
Use calamitous to express this relationship precisely: causing or involving great damage, suffering, failure, or disaster.
What calamitous Really Means
The word becomes easier to use when its closely related senses are separated and compared.
2
Attributive or predicative use
Use this adjective before a suitable noun or after a linking verb such as be or seem.
Example
A calamitous miscalculation nearly destroyed the company.
3
Analytical distinction
Choose it when this exact descriptive quality matters; a related word may overlap without conveying the same trait.
Example
The invasion proved calamitous for civilians.
Use calamitous Naturally
Notice how the surrounding noun or clause reveals the exact shade of meaning.
The crop failure had calamitous effects on the region.
A calamitous miscalculation nearly destroyed the company.
The invasion proved calamitous for civilians.
Precision Matters
Calamitous overlaps with several common words, but each carries a different emphasis.
calamitous
vs.Means causing or involving great damage, suffering, failure, or disaster.
detrimental
Means causing harm, damage, disadvantage, or an undesirable effect.
calamitous
vs.Means causing or involving great damage, suffering, failure, or disaster.
innocuous
Means harmless or unlikely to cause offence or damage.
calamitous
vs.Means causing or involving great damage, suffering, failure, or disaster.
beneficially
Means in a way that produces a helpful, favourable, or advantageous result.
calamitous
vs.Means causing or involving great damage, suffering, failure, or disaster.
catastrophic
Means involving sudden, large-scale damage or disastrous consequences.
Test calamitous in Context
The event caused widespread disaster and severe damage.
1
The dam's collapse was ___, destroying villages and displacing thousands of residents.