calamity
noun
[ kəˈlamɪti ]
• an event causing great and often sudden damage or distress; a disaster.
• "emergency measures may be necessary in order to avert a calamity"
Similar:
disaster,
catastrophe,
tragedy,
cataclysm,
devastating blow,
crisis,
adversity,
blight,
tribulation,
woe,
affliction,
evil,
misfortune,
misadventure,
accident,
stroke of bad luck,
reverse of fortune,
setback,
mischance,
mishap,
car crash,
bale,
mishanter,
Origin:
late Middle English (in the sense ‘disaster and distress’): from Old French calamite, from Latin calamitas .
