Calamity

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: ca=lam=i=ty

CIDE DICTIONARY

Calamity, n. [L. calamitas, akin to in-columis unharmed: cf. F. calamité].

•  Any great misfortune or cause of misery; -- generally applied to events or disasters which produce extensive evil, either to communities or individuals.  [1913 Webster]

  "The word calamity was first derived from calamus when the corn could not get out of the stalk."  Bacon.  [1913 Webster]

  "Strokes of calamity that scathe and scorch the soul."  [1913 Webster]
•  A state or time of distress or misfortune; misery.  [1913 Webster]

  "The deliberations of calamity are rarely wise."  [1913 Webster]

  "Where'er I came I brought calamity."

Syn. -- Disaster; distress; affliction; adversity; misfortune; unhappiness; infelicity; mishap; mischance; misery; evil; extremity; exigency; downfall.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Calamity, n. (pl. -ies)
1 a disaster, a great misfortune.
2 a adversity. b deep distress.

Idiom

Calamity Jane a prophet of disaster.

Derivative

calamitous adj. calamitously adv.

Etymology

ME f. F calamit{eacute} f. L calamitas -tatis

DEVIL DICTIONARY

Calamity

n. A more than commonly plain and unmistakable reminder that the affairs of this life are not of our own ordering. Calamities are of two kinds: misfortune to ourselves, and good fortune to others.

THESAURUS

Calamity

accident, adversity, affliction, bane, blow, bugbear, burden, casualty, cataclysm, catastrophe, collapse, collision, contretemps, crack-up, crash, cross, crushing burden, curse, death, desolation, destruction, devastation, disaster, disease, distress, evil, fatal accident, fatality, grief, grievance, hardship, harm, ill hap, infliction, misadventure, mischance, misery, misfortune, mishap, nasty blow, nemesis, open wound, pest, pestilence, pileup, plague, reverse, ruin, ruination, running sore, scourge, shipwreck, shock, smash, smashup, staggering blow, thorn, torment, tragedy, trial, tribulation, trouble, vexation, violent death, visitation, woe, wreck, wretchedness

ROGET THESAURUS

Calamity

Evil

N evil, ill, harm, hurt, mischief, nuisance, machinations of the devil, Pandora's box, ills that flesh is heir to, blow, buffet, stroke, scratch, bruise, wound, gash, mutilation, mortal blow, wound, immedicabile vulnus, damage, loss, disadvantage, prejudice, drawback, disaster, accident, casualty, mishap, bad job, devil to pay, calamity, bale, catastrophe, tragedy, ruin, adversity, mental suffering, demon, (Evil spirit) bane, (cause of evil), badness, (Production of Evil), painfulness, evil doer, outrage, wrong, injury, foul play, bad turn, ill turn, disservice, spoliation, grievance, crying evil, disastrous, bad, awry, out of joint, disadvantageous, amis, wrong, ill, to one's cost, moving accidents by flood and field.

Adversity

N adversity, evil, failure, bad luck, ill luck, evil luck, adverse luck, hard fortune, hard hap, hard luck, hard lot, frowns of fortune, evil dispensation, evil star, evil genius, vicissitudes of life, ups and downs of life, broken fortunes, hard case, hard lines, hard life, sea of troubles, peck of troubles, hell upon earth, slough of despond, trouble, hardship, curse, blight, blast, load, pressure, pressure of the times, iron age, evil day, time out of joint, hard times, bad times, sad times, rainy day, cloud, dark cloud, gathering clouds, ill wind, visitation, infliction, affliction, bitter pill, care, trial, the sport of fortune, mishap, mischance, misadventure, misfortune, disaster, calamity, catastrophe, accident, casualty, cross, reverse, check, contretemps, rub, backset, comedown, setback, losing game, falling, fall, downfall, ruination, ruinousness, undoing, extremity, ruin, unfortunate, unblest, unhappy, unlucky, improsperous, unprosperous, hoodooed, luckless, hapless, out of luck, in trouble, in a bad way, in an evil plight, under a cloud, clouded, ill off, badly off, in adverse circumstances, poor, behindhand, down in the world, decayed, undone, on the road to ruin, on its last legs, on the wane, in one's utmost need, planet-struck, devoted, born under an evil star, born with a wooden ladle in one's mouth, ill-fated, ill-starred, ill-omened, adverse, untoward, disastrous, calamitous, ruinous, dire, deplorable.