apocalypse

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noun apoc·a·lypse \ə-ˈpä-kə-ˌlips\

Definition of apocalypse

1a : one of the Jewish and Christian writings of 200 b.c. to a.d. 150 marked by pseudonymity, symbolic imagery, and the expectation of an imminent cosmic cataclysm in which God destroys the ruling powers of evil and raises the righteous to life in a messianic kingdomb capitalized : revelation 3
2a : something viewed as a prophetic revelationb : armageddon
3 : a great disaster an environmental apocalypse

See apocalypse defined for English-language learners

Examples of apocalypse in a Sentence

His book tells of an environmental apocalypse.
the fear that the next global pandemic could be an apocalypse of biblical proportions

Recent Examples of apocalypse from the Web

With ongoing uncertainty over the upcoming June 8 general election, Bloomberg’s Brexit Barometer continued to slide today, hitting fresh lows.— Andy Reinhardt And yet, London’s Brexit apocalypse is nowhere in sight.

— Bloomberg.com, "Your Evening Briefing", 1 June 2017
And things aren't looking good, considering that nuclear apocalypse last season.

— kristi turnquist, OregonLive.com, "Summer TV 2017: Premiere dates for new and returning shows", 30 May 2017
As the Taxidermy Championships opened, the streets around the Peoria Civic Center were zombie-apocalypse silent.

— christopher borrelli, chicagotribune.com, "World Taxidermy Championships: Meet the barking, swimming, flying dead", 26 May 2017
The pleasure of classic low-budget science-fiction films—the threadbare apocalypses of the nineteen-fifties—is the fusion of authentic fear with the earnestness inherent in comic-book-like creatures and effects.

— richard brody, The New Yorker, "“Alien: Covenant” Bursts with Pomposity", 24 May 2017
Willem Dafoe headlines this 2011 drama from director Abel Ferrara, about a couple's final night together in a NYC loft on the eve of an impending apocalypse.

— nick schager, Esquire, "10 Must-Stream Movies That Are Expiring From Netflix in June 2017", 23 May 2017
Halloween creeps closer, but Puscifer is there for you, with a digital daydream of apocalypse and heat.

— scott thill, WIRED, "October Rocks: Tool’s Maynard James Keenan Takes Puscifer Into the Weird", 28 Oct. 2008

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'apocalypse'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of apocalypse

Middle English, revelation, Revelation, from Anglo-French apocalipse, from Late Latin apocalypsis, from Greek apokalypsis, from apokalyptein to uncover, from apo- + kalyptein to cover — more at hell

First Known Use: 13th century