Calamitous — A Vocabulary Story
Rukhsana and the Great Car Wash
Rukhsana had a brilliant plan. Dad's car was so muddy that even the mud looked embarrassed, so she would wash it as a surprise before he got home from work.
Her big brother Imran raised one eyebrow. "Remember the last time you used the hose? It was calamitous. Next door's cat didn't come out from under the shed for two days."
Calamitous means causing great harm, damage, or suffering; having disastrous consequences.
"That was ages ago," said Rukhsana. "I'm basically a professional now."
She filled a bucket with soapy water, rolled up her sleeves and got scrubbing. Bubbles piled up on the bonnet like a fluffy white mountain. So far, so good.
Then came the hose.
Rukhsana turned the tap, and the hose leapt about like an angry snake, spraying the fence, the flowerbed, Imran's trainers and Imran himself. He shrieked and dived behind the wheelie bin.
"This is calamitous!" he shouted, dripping.
"It's fine!" called Rukhsana, wrestling the hose. "Mostly fine! Slightly calamitous at worst!"
At last she pinned it down, aimed it carefully, and rinsed every bubble away. When Dad's car emerged, it gleamed like a spaceship.
Dad arrived home, stopped, and stared. "Who did this? It's magnificent!"
"Me," said Rukhsana proudly, wringing water out of her plait.
Dad looked at the soaked fence, the flattened flowers and Imran, who resembled a grumpy sponge. "And the rest?"
Rukhsana followed his gaze. "That part," she admitted, "was a tiny bit calamitous. But look how shiny your car is!"
Word Definition
calamitous
meaning
causing great harm, damage, or suffering; having disastrous consequences
synonyms
disastrous · catastrophic · ruinous · devastating · dire
antonyms
fortunate · beneficial
example sentence
The flood had a calamitous effect on the town.