calamity
n. countablen. a terrible event that causes a lot of damage or suffering. You use this word for serious disasters like a flood or a sudden personal tragedy.
n. an event resulting in great loss, distress, or misfortune. Often implies a sudden and catastrophic change in circumstances.
The earthquake was a calamity for the small island nation.
The sudden collapse of the bridge was a calamity that the local government struggled to manage.
Historians argue that the sudden death of the heir was a national calamity that plunged the kingdom into decades of civil unrest and economic decline.
From Middle French calamité, from Latin calamitās (“loss, damage; disaster”).
Often used in the singular with the indefinite article ('a calamity') or as an uncountable concept in literary contexts.