apocalyptic

adjective

apoc·​a·​lyp·​tic ə-ˌpä-kə-ˈlip-tik How to pronounce apocalyptic (audio)
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
apocalyptically adverb

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 The battered panel — painting as performance art — takes a cue from Shōzō Shimamoto, Saburō Murakami and other Gutai aesthetics of 1950s Japan, which emerged from the apocalyptic ruins of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2024 In the northwest Georgia city of Rome, Trump — now the presumptive GOP nominee after former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley exited the race last week — conjured an apocalyptic vision of a nation under siege from invading migrants and economic blight. Alexandra Banner, CNN, 11 Mar. 2024 The film follows a group of high-school juniors navigating the apocalyptic conditions imposed by a mass machine revolt. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Mar. 2024 Through these, a couple of years and a few hundred thousand dollars or so can yield citizenship in a new country, allowing the recipients to skirt taxes in the U.S. or simply have a place to flee should something apocalyptic transpire, says Lesperance. Alicia Adamczyk, Fortune, 7 Mar. 2024 Kyle Mooney’s teen comedy, though, zeroes in on the apocalyptic anxiety that came with the turn of the millennium. Selome Hailu, Variety, 7 Mar. 2024 But as in many public debates, they were frequently drowned out by emotional and apocalyptic warnings that had little to do with real science. Michael Lynch, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 Macron’s suggestion was swiftly rejected by the United States and others, but Putin said that such a development would risk a wider war with potentially apocalyptic consequences. Alexander Smith, NBC News, 29 Feb. 2024 Even now, after apocalyptic fires made the already dire housing crisis worse, residents and advocates say the same old delays are preventing small houses from solving a big problem. Reis Thebault, Washington Post, 22 Feb. 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.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin apocalypticus, derivative of apocalypsis apocalypse, by analogy with pairs such as ellīpsis ellipsis : ellīpticus elliptic

First Known Use

1633, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of apocalyptic was in 1633

Dictionary Entries Near apocalyptic

Cite this Entry

“Apocalyptic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/apocalyptic. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on apocalyptic

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!