calamity
Meaning: An event causing great and often sudden damage, distress, or misfortune; a disaster of serious magnitude.
Calamity implies a catastrophe of significant scale, whether natural, political, or personal. It is weightier than 'misfortune' and more literary than 'disaster.' In journalism, it frequently appears in editorials and feature writing about large-scale crises — floods, financial collapses, humanitarian emergencies. The word can also be used with deliberate understatement or irony to describe less severe setbacks, though this is primarily a spoken register. It collocates with 'natural,' 'national,' 'economic,' 'avert,' and 'of this magnitude.'
Examples
- The flooding of the Somerset Levels was described by local residents as the worst natural calamity in living memory. 萨默塞特低地的洪水被当地居民描述为有生以来最严重的自然灾害。Las inundaciones de los Somerset Levels fueron descritas por los vecinos como la peor calamidad natural en la memoria viva.サマセット低地の洪水は、地元住民から記憶にある限り最悪の自然災害と評された。서머셋 저지대의 홍수는 지역 주민들로부터 기억에 남는 최악의 자연 재해로 묘사되었다.
- Economists warned that a disorderly exit from the European Union would precipitate a calamity for British manufacturing. 经济学家警告,无序脱欧将给英国制造业带来一场灾难。Los economistas advirtieron de que una salida desordenada de la Unión Europea precipitaría una calamidad para la industria manufacturera británica.経済学者たちは、EU からの無秩序な離脱は英国の製造業に壊滅的打撃をもたらすと警告した。경제학자들은 유럽연합으로부터의 무질서한 이탈이 영국 제조업에 재앙적 타격을 가져올 것이라고 경고했다.
- The inquiry was established to determine how such a calamity could have occurred in a supposedly well-regulated industry. 调查委员会的成立旨在查明如此严重的灾难何以能在一个据称监管良好的行业中发生。La investigación se creó para determinar cómo una calamidad de tal magnitud pudo ocurrir en un sector supuestamente bien regulado.その調査は、適切に規制されているはずの業界でこれほどの大惨事がなぜ起こり得たのかを究明するために設けられた。그 조사는 적절히 규제되고 있다고 여겨지던 산업에서 어떻게 이런 대참사가 발생할 수 있었는지를 규명하기 위해 설치되었다.
Pronunciation
Usage Guide
Context: academic, general
Tone: neutral
Origin & History
From French calamité, from Latin calamitas (damage, disaster), possibly related to calamus (stalk, reed) — suggesting crop damage. In English since the 15th century.
Cultural Context
Era: Modern
Generation: All ages
Social background: Universal
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