cataclysm
noun
cat·a·clysm
ˈka-tə-ˌkli-zəm 
3
: a momentous and violent event marked by overwhelming upheaval and demolition
broadly
: an event that brings great changes
an international economic cataclysm
Synonyms
Examples of cataclysm in a Sentence
floods, earthquakes, and other cataclysms
The country barely survived the cataclysm of war.
The revolution could result in worldwide cataclysm.
Recent Examples on the Web
The Alaska Airlines cataclysm upends Boeing’s old succession plan
On March 25, Boeing unveiled a sudden upheaval in its C-suite and boardroom.
—
Shawn Tully, Fortune, 13 Apr. 2024
If anything, the cataclysm that has ensued with the shutdown of Change Healthcare is a testament to just how powerful and transformative networked business models can and should be for healthcare.
—Seth Joseph, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
By piecing together clues from the fossils and artifacts found at the site, along with geological and molecular analysis, the team began to understand how the humans living there forged ahead despite the likely climate shift that the volcanic cataclysm triggered.
—Katie Hunt, CNN, 21 Mar. 2024
Each character who dons the headset finds themselves in an otherworldly version of an ancient kingdom — China for Jin, England for Jack — which they are challenged to save from repeating cataclysms caused by the presence of three suns (hence the series’s title).
—James Poniewozik, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2024
Through the booms and busts of the Gilded Age, the cataclysms of the Great Depression and the whirlwind of the 1970s oil crisis and stagflation, economic headwinds were barely worth mentioning.
—Sam Dean, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2024
And Jude’s movie alludes to a creeping cataclysm of the everyday—a sense that our lives are being gradually stolen from us, one endless commute, meaningless task, and crushingly inadequate paycheck at a time.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2024
Despite the brutal impact of the ongoing regional layoffs, the current staffing reductions are nowhere close to the cataclysm that demolished the region’s tech industry during the dot-com meltdown two decades ago.
—George Avalos, The Mercury News, 18 Feb. 2024
The juxtaposition of political cataclysm and the tranquillity of the tub captures the feeling of mental excitement, imbuing the life of the mind with physical energy.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 7 Dec. 2023
Shawn Tully, Fortune, 13 Apr. 2024
If anything, the cataclysm that has ensued with the shutdown of Change Healthcare is a testament to just how powerful and transformative networked business models can and should be for healthcare.
—Seth Joseph, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
By piecing together clues from the fossils and artifacts found at the site, along with geological and molecular analysis, the team began to understand how the humans living there forged ahead despite the likely climate shift that the volcanic cataclysm triggered.
—Katie Hunt, CNN, 21 Mar. 2024
Each character who dons the headset finds themselves in an otherworldly version of an ancient kingdom — China for Jin, England for Jack — which they are challenged to save from repeating cataclysms caused by the presence of three suns (hence the series’s title).
—James Poniewozik, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2024
Through the booms and busts of the Gilded Age, the cataclysms of the Great Depression and the whirlwind of the 1970s oil crisis and stagflation, economic headwinds were barely worth mentioning.
—Sam Dean, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2024
And Jude’s movie alludes to a creeping cataclysm of the everyday—a sense that our lives are being gradually stolen from us, one endless commute, meaningless task, and crushingly inadequate paycheck at a time.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2024
Despite the brutal impact of the ongoing regional layoffs, the current staffing reductions are nowhere close to the cataclysm that demolished the region’s tech industry during the dot-com meltdown two decades ago.
—George Avalos, The Mercury News, 18 Feb. 2024
The juxtaposition of political cataclysm and the tranquillity of the tub captures the feeling of mental excitement, imbuing the life of the mind with physical energy.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 7 Dec. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cataclysm.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to cataclysm
Dictionary Entries Near cataclysm
Cite this Entry
“Cataclysm.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cataclysm. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
cataclysm
noun
cat·a·clysm
ˈkat-ə-ˌkliz-əm
1
: a great flood
2
: a violent and destructive natural event (as an earthquake)
3
: a violent social or political change
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share