Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Causing or involving calamity; disastrous.
from The Century Dictionary.
- Miserable; involved in calamity or deep distress; wretched.
- Of the nature of or marked by calamity or great misfortune; bringing or resulting from calamity; making wretched; distressing or distressful: as, a calamitous event; “that calamitous prison,” Milton, S.A.,1. 1480; “this sad and calamitous condition,” South.
- Synonyms Afflictive, disastrous, distressing, grievous, deplorable, baleful, ruinous.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective obsolete Suffering calamity; wretched; miserable.
- adjective Producing, or attended with distress and misery; making wretched; wretched; unhappy.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective Concerning or involving
calamity , disastrous.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective (of events) having extremely unfortunate or dire consequences; bringing ruin
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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By this it appears that it was advisable and seasonable only in calamitous times, and times of present distress, 1
Commentary on the Whole Bible Volume IV (Isaiah to Malachi) 1721
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To give to them who are thus marked an assurance of God's favour, that they may know it themselves; and the comfort of knowing it will be the most powerful support and cordial in calamitous times.
Commentary on the Whole Bible Volume IV (Isaiah to Malachi) 1721
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Such an attack would truly be "calamitous" -- to use the same description as the Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Michael Mullen.
Shawn Amoei: Neocon War Plans Undermine Iranians' Quest for Democracy 2010
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Such an attack would truly be "calamitous" -- to use the same description as the Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Michael Mullen.
Shawn Amoei: Neocon War Plans Undermine Iranians' Quest for Democracy Shawn Amoei 2010
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Such an attack would truly be "calamitous" -- to use the same description as the
National Iranian American Council (NIAC) Stories Shawn Amoei - Opinion 2010
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We will recall the calamitous response to that disaster, during which some kids weren't reunited with their families for up to six months.
Mark Shriver: Another Gulf Coast Disaster...Are We Ready? 2010
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I'm not sure I would want to turn Goodwin's sympathies on, say, Woodrow Wilson, lest personal feeling claim a larger portion of her focus than the long-term calamitous consequences of a president's good intentions; but cynicism doesn't get anyone very far with Lincoln.
No Ordinary Tome 2005
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I'm not sure I would want to turn Goodwin's sympathies on, say, Woodrow Wilson, lest personal feeling claim a larger portion of her focus than the long-term calamitous consequences of a president's good intentions; but cynicism doesn't get anyone very far with Lincoln.
No Ordinary Tome 2005
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Rather than be an alarmist and claim that Global Warming caused it, lets turn what the Al Gores of the world would call a calamitous event into a situation that actually creates jobs and economic prosperity.
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That is what is most calamitous, that is the most dramatic.
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