calamity

/kəˈlæməti/ (bre, ipa) · [kəlˈæməti] /kəˈlæməti/ (ame, ipa) · [kəlˈæməti] /kə-ˈla-mə-tē How to pronounce calamity (audio)/ (ame, mw)

calamity — noun

  • calamitysingular
  • calamitiesplural

1. a very serious event or situation that brings great harm, loss, or suffering to

1.名詞C1
釋義

a very serious event or situation that brings great harm, loss, or suffering to many people or to a place

例句

The dam burst at dawn, and the flood became a calamity for three villages.

a calamity for + place

Ada called the chemical spill a calamity after two towns lost drinking water.

call something a calamity

同義詞
  • disaster

    the broader everyday word, used for both real damage and smaller failures

  • catastrophe

    stronger in scale, often suggesting huge destruction or total collapse

  • tragedy

    puts more focus on death or deep human suffering

  • misfortune

    milder and more personal, often about bad luck rather than a public event

反義詞
  • blessing

    something helpful or fortunate instead of a harmful event

  • good fortune

    a lucky or favorable outcome rather than severe loss

文法句型

a calamity for + group/place

the calamity of + noun

turn into a calamity

war and calamity

用法筆記

Often appears with words such as national, public, economic, and human to show how wide the damage is. It is more formal and dramatic than disaster, and it usually suggests harm that reaches a whole community, region, or period of time.

常見錯誤

❌Losing my umbrella was a calamity.
✅Losing my umbrella was annoying.
💡'calamity' is for very serious harm or suffering, not a small daily problem.
❌The slow Wi-Fi was a calamity for our class.
✅The slow Wi-Fi was a nuisance for our class.
💡minor inconvenience is too weak a situation for 'calamity'.