apocalypticism

noun

apoc·​a·​lyp·​ti·​cism ə-ˌpä-kə-ˈlip-tə-ˌsi-zəm How to pronounce apocalypticism (audio)
variants or apocalyptism
: apocalyptic expectation
especially : a doctrine concerning an imminent end of the world and an ensuing general resurrection and final judgment

Examples of apocalypticism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In a way, our own age’s greasy stew of absurdity and apocalypticism, creeping death tinged with clown-shoe idiocy, suggests a world that has finally, fatefully, caught up with Pynchon. John Semley, WIRED, 16 Feb. 2023 Still others dismiss the catalog of doom and gloom as mere apocalypticism itself. Keith Kloor, Discover Magazine, 23 Apr. 2012 Often apocalypticism is then differentiated from both millenarianism and eschatology. Michael Robbins, Harper’s Magazine , 9 Nov. 2022 The apocalypticism and the persecution complex of the movement are perfectly suited to the task. Katherine Stewart, The New Republic, 10 Jan. 2022 Huntington doesn’t pay much attention to conservative Protestant apocalypticism, which was a key factor in this era. Washington Post, 30 Dec. 2021 Death, violence and apocalypticism surged with the Black Death of the 1340s. Washington Post, 18 June 2021 Initially, white evangelical apocalypticism was conservative and anti-statist, but not overtly partisan. Matthew Avery Sutton, The New Republic, 14 Jan. 2021 Evangelical apocalypticism creates a very particular ideology and a very particular form of cultural engagement. Matthew Avery Sutton, The New Republic, 14 Jan. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'apocalypticism.' 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

apocalypticism from apocalyptic + -ism; apocalyptism from apocalypt(ic) + -ism

First Known Use

1858, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of apocalypticism was in 1858

Dictionary Entries Near apocalypticism

Cite this Entry

“Apocalypticism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/apocalypticism. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

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