calamity
gb/kəlˈæmɪti/ us/kəlˈæmɪti/
C1
Inglês
~ 5900
Acepções
0 acepção
Substantivo
formal
C1
event
1
very serious disaster or misfortune
A very bad event that causes a lot of harm, pain, or problems for many people.
Padrão de uso:
[a/the] calamity for [someone/something]
Erro comum:
Learners sometimes use "calamity" for small problems (e.g., a delayed bus). In English, "calamity" is usually reserved for very serious events. Also, remember it is countable: you say "a calamity" or "several calamities," not just *"there was calamity" in most contexts.
Sinônimos
disaster (More common and slightly less formal; often interchangeable in most contexts.)
|
catastrophe (Very close in meaning but can sound even more dramatic than "calamity.")
|
tragedy (Emphasizes human suffering and emotional loss more than physical or financial damage.)
Antônimos
blessing (Highlights something very good or helpful, often surprisingly so, in contrast to serious harm.)
|
boon (A great benefit or help, often in a difficult situation, opposite of a harmful event.)
Colocações
natural calamity
|economic calamity
|a major calamity
|personal calamity
|prevent a calamity
|end in calamity
Temas
disasters
|society
|emotions
|nature
|core_vocabulary
Exemplos
- The earthquake was a national calamity that left thousands homeless.
- If the dam breaks, it will be an environmental calamity for the region.
- Losing both jobs in the same week felt like a personal calamity to the young couple.
- The report warns that ignoring climate change could lead to economic calamity.
- Thanks to early evacuation, the potential calamity was largely avoided.
Exemplos para estudantes
- The flood was a great calamity for the small town.
- The war brought calamity to millions of people.
- Losing all of their money in one day was a calamity for the family.
- The fire could have become a real calamity, but the firefighters stopped it.
- They worked hard to prevent another calamity like the last accident.
Substantivo
informal
C2
entity
2
person or thing causing constant disasters
A person or thing that often makes big mistakes or causes bad problems again and again.
Padrão de uso:
[someone] is a [calamity] at [activity]
Erro comum:
Learners may think this meaning is very common, but it is mostly used in jokes or strong criticism. It is not a neutral way to talk about someone. It also suggests repeated or serious problems, not just one small mistake.
Sinônimos
disaster (Informally used about a person who often fails or causes trouble, similar humorous tone to this sense.)
|
mess (More general and less dramatic; suggests someone is disorganized or always in trouble, not always causing big problems.)
Antônimos
a safe pair of hands (Describes someone reliable and careful, the opposite of a person who constantly causes problems.)
Colocações
a walking calamity
|a bit of a calamity
|a calamity in the kitchen
|a social calamity
|prove to be a calamity
Temas
daily life
|people
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Exemplos
- I'm a complete calamity in the kitchen and burn almost everything I cook.
- He’s a walking calamity; wherever he goes, something gets broken.
- Putting him in charge of the event turned out to be a total calamity.
- She's a bit of a calamity when it comes to technology, so we set up the computer for her.
- With his record, hiring him as a driver could be a real calamity.
Exemplos para estudantes
- My brother is a calamity when he tries to fix things.
- I am a walking calamity; I drop my phone every week.
- She was a calamity at the party and spilled juice on three people.
- They said he was a calamity as a manager because many things went wrong.
- I feel like a calamity when I play sports, because I always fall.
Gramática
Forma no dicionário
calamity
AFI
GB/kəlˈæmɪti/
US/kəlˈæmɪti/
Sílabas e tonicidade
calam - ity (2 sílabas)
Stress on 2nd syllable (ity)
Formas da palavra
Noun
- Base: calamity
- Plural: calamities
Família de palavras
Expressões
a walking calamity
1/ə wˈɔkɪŋ kəlˈæmɪti/
idiom
informal
very accident-prone or trouble-prone person
A person who often has accidents or causes bad problems wherever they go.
Exemplos
- With the number of laptops he’s broken, he’s basically a walking calamity.
- She joked that she was a walking calamity after spilling coffee on herself twice in one morning.