指造成巨大破壞或苦難的嚴重災難或不幸事件。
重大災難
EN: a great disaster that causes widespread damage and suffering
翻譯: 造成廣泛破壞與苦難的重大災難
嚴重不幸
EN: a terrible misfortune or catastrophe
翻譯: 可怕的厄運或大災禍
極度困境
EN: a state of deep distress or misery
翻譯: 極度痛苦或悲慘的處境
小提醒：「calamity」語氣比「disaster」或「misfortune」更強烈、更正式，通常指影響深遠、極度嚴重的災難。
點擊下方的 US / UK 按鈕可播放發音。
Real-life Examples of "Calamity" from YouTube Videos
Gever Tulley teaches life lessons through tinkering
TED
“Nothing ever turns out as planned, ever (Laughter), And the kids soon learn that all projects go awry -- (Laughter) and become at ease with the idea that every step in a project is a step closer to sweet success or gleeful calamity.”
1. an event causing great and often sudden damage or distress; a disaster
造成巨大且通常是突然的破壞或痛苦的事件；災難
The earthquake was a calamity that left thousands homeless.
那場地震是一場災難，導致數千人無家可歸。
The country is still recovering from the economic calamity.
這個國家仍在從那場經濟災難中復甦。
2. great misfortune or distress, especially as caused by a disastrous event
巨大的不幸或痛苦，尤指由災難性事件所引起
The war brought untold calamity upon the civilian population.
戰爭給平民百姓帶來了難以言喻的災難。
He felt a personal calamity when his business failed.
當他的生意失敗時，他感到一場個人的災難。
3. a state of deep distress or misery caused by major misfortune or loss
由重大不幸或損失引起的極度痛苦或悲慘的狀態
The village was in a state of calamity after the flood.
洪水過後，整個村莊處於一片災難的狀態。
Her face was etched with the lines of calamity.
她的臉上刻滿了災難留下的皺紋。
| Pattern | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| calamity + strikes | 災難降臨 | A great calamity struck the coastal city. (一場巨大的災難襲擊了這座沿海城市。) |
| avert a calamity | 避免災難 | The heroes worked together to avert the impending calamity. (英雄們齊心協力，避免了這場迫在眉睫的災難。) |
| suffer a calamity | 遭受災難 | The region suffered a calamity from which it took years to recover. (該地區遭受了一場需要多年才能恢復的災難。) |
| natural calamity | 自然災害 | The earthquake was the worst natural calamity in the country's history. (這場地震是該國歷史上最嚴重的自然災害。) |
| financial calamity | 金融災難 | The sudden market crash led to a financial calamity for many investors. (市場突然崩盤，對許多投資者造成了一場金融災難。) |
| calamity + befalls + someone/something | 災難降臨於某人/某物 | A terrible calamity befell the ancient kingdom. (一場可怕的災難降臨在這個古老的王國。) |
EN:The flood was a disaster for the small village, destroying many homes.
翻譯:這場洪水對小村莊來說是一場災難，摧毀了許多房屋。
EN:The loss of the ancient library was an irreplaceable cultural calamity.
翻譯:那座古老圖書館的損失是一場無可替代的文化浩劫。
EN:Missing the flight was a personal disaster for my business trip.
翻譯:錯過航班對我這次出差來說是個大麻煩。
描述極其嚴重、造成廣泛苦難的災難時用 calamity，而泛指各種不幸或災禍時則用更常見的 disaster。
calamity vs disaster
兩者皆指嚴重的不幸事件，但 "calamity" 語氣更強烈、更具文學性，常暗示事件規模巨大且帶來深遠的苦難；"disaster" 則較為通用，可指各種規模的災難或徹底的失敗。
calamity vs catastrophe
兩詞常可互換，均指極度不幸的災難。細微差別在於 "catastrophe" 更強調事件的突然性、戲劇性轉折與毀滅性結局；"calamity" 則更側重事件帶來的持續性苦難與悲慘境遇。
calamity vs tragedy
"calamity" 主要指客觀上規模巨大、造成廣泛損害與苦難的事件；"tragedy" 則更側重事件引發的悲傷、憐憫等情感反應，尤其指令人痛心的死亡或不幸，戲劇色彩更濃。
在對話中，人們有時會用「calamity」來引述或轉述他人的誇張說法，帶有一點調侃或戲劇化的意味。 EN: He called the burnt toast "a breakfast calamity." 翻譯: 他把烤焦的吐司稱為「一場早餐災難」。
EN:My mom described my messy room as a domestic calamity.
翻譯:我媽把我亂糟糟的房間形容為一場家庭災難。
在非正式對話中，這個詞常用來誇張地強調某件令人煩惱或混亂的小事，以達到幽默或自嘲的效果。 EN: Forgetting my charger on a trip is a total calamity. 翻譯: 旅行時忘了帶充電器，簡直是一場徹頭徹尾的災難。
EN:The coffee machine breaking down is our office's morning calamity.
翻譯:咖啡機壞了是我們辦公室早上的災難事件。
有時說話者會用「calamity」作為一個稍顯誇張的停頓填充詞，來總結或誇大一系列不順心的小事。 EN: First the traffic, then the rain... what a calamity. 翻譯: 先是塞車，然後又下雨…真是災難一場。
EN:Missed the bus, spilled my drink... calamity after calamity today.
翻譯:錯過公車，飲料又打翻…今天真是災難連連。
注意：在正式寫作或嚴肅報告中，應謹慎使用「calamity」，因為它在口語中的誇張用法可能削弱文體的嚴肅性。在描述真正的重大災難時，使用它很合適，但若用於瑣事，則會顯得用詞不當或過於戲劇化。
natural calamity
noun + noun
自然災害
avert a calamity
verb + noun
避免災難
calamity strikes
noun + verb
災難降臨
financial calamity
adjective + noun
金融災難
on the brink of calamity
prepositional phrase
瀕臨災難邊緣
a calamity of epic proportions
noun + of + adjective + noun
規模巨大的災難
bring calamity upon
verb + noun + preposition
招致災難
×It was a big calamity.
✓It was a major/great calamity.
While 'big' is common for size, 'calamity' typically pairs with adjectives like 'major', 'great', 'terrible', or 'national' to emphasize severity rather than physical size.
×I had a calamity yesterday when I missed the bus.
✓I had a minor mishap/trouble yesterday when I missed the bus.
'Calamity' refers to an event causing great and often sudden damage or distress, typically on a large scale affecting many people. For personal, everyday inconveniences, use words like 'mishap', 'trouble', or 'problem'.
×He is a calamity.
✓He is a disaster / He is calamitous.
'Calamity' is primarily a noun for an event, not a person. To describe a person who causes trouble, use 'disaster' (informal) or 'calamitous' as an adjective.
×We faced many calamities.
✓We faced a series of calamities. / We faced one calamity after another.
While grammatically possible, 'many calamities' sounds odd because a single calamity is often severe enough. It's more natural to use 'a series of calamities' or similar phrases to describe multiple disastrous events.
×This is a calamity problem.
✓This is a calamitous problem. / This problem is a calamity.
'Calamity' is a noun. The adjective form is 'calamitous'. Use the adjective to describe a noun, or rephrase using 'calamity' as a predicate noun.
×Calamity is same as accident.
✓A calamity is more severe than an accident.
An 'accident' is an unfortunate incident that happens unexpectedly, often on a smaller scale (e.g., car accident). A 'calamity' implies a disaster of great magnitude, often with widespread suffering.