Word Meanings - CALAMITY - Book Publishers vocabulary database

1. Any great misfortune or cause of misery; -- generally applied to events or disasters which produce extensive evil, either to communities or individuals. Note: The word calamity was first derived from calamus when the corn could not get out of

Additional info about word: CALAMITY

1. Any great misfortune or cause of misery; -- generally applied to events or disasters which produce extensive evil, either to communities or individuals. Note: The word calamity was first derived from calamus when the corn could not get out of the stalk. Bacon. Strokes of calamity that scathe and scorch the soul. W. Irving. 2. A state or time of distress or misfortune; misery. The deliberations of calamity are rarely wise. Burke. Where'er I came I brought calamity. Tennyson. Syn. -- Disaster; distress; afflicition; adversity; misfortune; unhappiness; infelicity; mishap; mischance; misery; evil; extremity; exigency; downfall. -- Calamity, Disaster, Misfortune, Mishap, Mischance. Of these words, calamity is the strongest. It supposes a somewhat continuous state, produced not usually by the direct agency of man, but by natural causes, such as fire, flood, tempest, disease, etc, Disaster denotes literally ill-starred, and is some unforeseen and distressing event which comes suddenly upon us, as if from hostile planet. Misfortune is often due to no specific cause; it is simply the bad fortune of an individual; a link in the chain of events; an evil independent of his own conduct, and not to be charged as a fault. Mischance and mishap are misfortunes of a trivial nature, occurring usually to individuals. "A calamity is either public or private, but more frequently the former; a disaster is rather particular than private; it affects things rather than persons; journey, expedition, and military movements are often attended with disasters; misfortunes are usually personal; they immediately affect the interests of the individual." Crabb.

Possible synonyms: (Same meaning words of CALAMITY)

• Accident
• Chance
• fortuity
• disaster
• incident
• adventure
• casualty
• hazard
• contingency
• calamity
• misadventure
• mishap
• Adversity
• Ill-luck
• misfortune
• misery
• distress
• unsuccess
• failure
• ruin
• trouble
• affliction
• sorrow
• Blow
• Puff
• blast
• breath
• stroke
• infliction
• wound
• disappointment
• knock
• shock
• Catastrophe
• Revolution
• reverse
• blow
• visitation
• Hardship
• Trouble
• burden
• annoyance
• grievance
• endurance

Possible antonyms: (opposite words of CALAMITY)

• Restore
• expand
• swell
• Soothe
• compose
• please
• gratify
• gladden
• console
• elate
• comfort
• Order
• arrange
• place
• collocate
• range
• Compose
• calm
• allay
• appease
• soothe
• delight
• recreate
• entertain
• relieve
• refresh

Related words: (words related to CALAMITY)

• BREATHE
  Etym: 1. To respire; to inhale and exhale air; hence;, to live. "I am in health, I breathe." Shak. Breathes there a man with soul so dead Sir W. Scott. 2. To take breath; to rest from action. Well! breathe awhile, and then to it again! Shak. 3.
• STROKER
  One who strokes; also, one who pretends to cure by stroking. Cures worked by Greatrix the stroker. Bp. Warburton.
• ACCIDENTALLY
  In an accidental manner; unexpectedly; by chance; unintentionally; casually; fortuitously; not essentially.
• MISHAPPEN
  To happen ill or unluckily. Spenser.
• SORROW
  The uneasiness or pain of mind which is produced by the loss of any good, real or supposed, or by diseappointment in the expectation of good; grief at having suffered or occasioned evil; regret; unhappiness; sadness. Milton. How great
• REVERSED
  Annulled and the contrary substituted; as, a reversed judgment or decree. Reversed positive or negative , a picture corresponding with the original in light and shade, but reversed as to right and left. Abney. (more info) 1. Turned side for side,
• CHANCELLERY
  Chancellorship. Gower.
• HAZARDIZE
  A hazardous attempt or situation; hazard. Herself had run into that hazardize. Spenser.
• DELIGHTING
  Giving delight; gladdening. -- De*light"ing*ly, adv. Jer. Taylor.
• RANGEMENT
  Arrangement. Waterland.
• COMFORTLESS
  Without comfort or comforts; in want or distress; cheerless. Comfortless through turanny or might. Spenser. Syn. -- Forlorn; desolate; cheerless; inconsolable; disconsolate; wretched; miserable. -- Com"fort*less*ly, adv. -- Com"fort*less*ness, n.
• TROUBLER
  One who troubles or disturbs; one who afflicts or molests; a disturber; as, a troubler of the peace. The rich troublers of the world's repose. Waller.
• SORROWED
  Accompanied with sorrow; sorrowful. Shak.
• MISFORTUNED
  Unfortunate.
• PLACEMENT
  1. The act of placing, or the state of being placed. 2. Position; place.
• DELIGHTLESS
  Void of delight. Thomson.
• PLACENTARY
  Having reference to the placenta; as, the placentary system of classification.
• BLASTMENT
  A sudden stroke or injury produced by some destructive cause. Shak.
• PLACE-KICK
  To make a place kick; to make by a place kick. -- Place"-kick`er, n.
• HARDSHIP
  That which is hard to hear, as toil, privation, injury, injustice, etc. Swift.
• ESTRANGE
  extraneare to treat as a stranger, from extraneus strange. See 1. To withdraw; to withhold; hence, reflexively, to keep at a distance; to cease to be familiar and friendly with. We must estrange our belief from everything which is not clearly and
• ORANGEADE
  A drink made of orange juice and water, corresponding to lemonade; orange sherbet.
• MANDELATE
  A salt of mandelic acid.
• DERANGER
  One who deranges.
• CITRANGE
  A citrous fruit produced by a cross between the sweet orange and the trifoliate orange . It is more acid and has a more pronounced aroma than the orange; the tree is hardier. There are several varieties.
• DERANGEMENT
  The act of deranging or putting out of order, or the state of being deranged; disarrangement; disorder; confusion; especially, mental disorder; insanity. Syn. -- Disorder; confusion; embarrassment; irregularity; disturbance; insanity;
• OVERTROUBLED
  Excessively troubled.
• IMBORDER
  To furnish or inclose with a border; to form a border of. Milton.