apocalyptic
adjective
apoc·a·lyp·tic
ə-ˌpä-kə-ˈlip-tik 
variants
or less commonly apocalyptical
1
: of, relating to, or resembling an apocalypse
apocalyptic events
2
: forecasting the ultimate destiny of the world : prophetic
apocalyptic warnings
3
: foreboding imminent disaster or final doom : terrible
apocalyptic signs of the coming end-times
4
: wildly unrestrained : grandiose
5
: ultimately decisive : climactic
an apocalyptic battle
Examples of apocalyptic in a Sentence
No one listened to her apocalyptic predictions.
a less apocalyptic view of the future
the apocalyptic destruction of the world
Recent Examples on the Web
Missing even the play-in round would be an apocalyptic event for a team with the largest payroll in league history.
—
Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2024
As the fiery mango of the subtropical setting sun makes Miami’s condo skyline even more apocalyptic, the ship shoves off beneath a perfunctory display of fireworks.
—Gary Shteyngart, The Atlantic, 4 Apr. 2024
The orchestra delivered it with almost apocalyptic intensity, as if mounting a wordless protest.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 2 Apr. 2024
But this focus on apocalyptic events also robs most of us of our agency.
—Ethan Mollick, TIME, 1 Apr. 2024
The widespread interest in the impact hypothesis outside academia can appear difficult to understand, says Tristan Sturm, a geographer at Queen’s University Belfast, who studies apocalyptic narratives and conspiracy theories.
—Zach St. George, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2024
As a laundromat owner who needs to save the multiverse, Yeoh breaks out all her moves, of both the emotional and action-flick varieties, and soars to make this wild tale way more personal than apocalyptic.
—Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 4 Mar. 2024
Radu’s road-movie premise recalls Jean-Luc Godard’s apocalyptic Weekend (1968), once considered Godard’s greatest film, before dystopian movies became comic-book escapism.
—Armond White, National Review, 22 Mar. 2024
In ancient cultures, solar eclipses were seen as apocalyptic prophecies, omens of the displeasure of the gods, periodic celestial coincidences, or some mixture of all three.
—Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 11 Mar. 2024
Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2024
As the fiery mango of the subtropical setting sun makes Miami’s condo skyline even more apocalyptic, the ship shoves off beneath a perfunctory display of fireworks.
—Gary Shteyngart, The Atlantic, 4 Apr. 2024
The orchestra delivered it with almost apocalyptic intensity, as if mounting a wordless protest.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 2 Apr. 2024
But this focus on apocalyptic events also robs most of us of our agency.
—Ethan Mollick, TIME, 1 Apr. 2024
The widespread interest in the impact hypothesis outside academia can appear difficult to understand, says Tristan Sturm, a geographer at Queen’s University Belfast, who studies apocalyptic narratives and conspiracy theories.
—Zach St. George, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2024
As a laundromat owner who needs to save the multiverse, Yeoh breaks out all her moves, of both the emotional and action-flick varieties, and soars to make this wild tale way more personal than apocalyptic.
—Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 4 Mar. 2024
Radu’s road-movie premise recalls Jean-Luc Godard’s apocalyptic Weekend (1968), once considered Godard’s greatest film, before dystopian movies became comic-book escapism.
—Armond White, National Review, 22 Mar. 2024
In ancient cultures, solar eclipses were seen as apocalyptic prophecies, omens of the displeasure of the gods, periodic celestial coincidences, or some mixture of all three.
—Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 11 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'apocalyptic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near apocalyptic
Cite this Entry
“Apocalyptic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/apocalyptic. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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