catastrophism
noun
ca·tas·tro·phism
kə-ˈta-strə-ˌfi-zəm 
: a geologic doctrine that changes in the earth's crust have in the past been brought about suddenly by physical forces operating in ways that cannot be observed today compare uniformitarianism
Examples of catastrophism in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But uniformitarianism turned out to be a rigid and incomplete doctrine, one that blinded generations of geologists to the possibility that the planet was also shaped by exceptional and dramatic events, a counter-theory known as catastrophism.
—
Kathryn Schulz, The New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2024
Climate catastrophism and its vendetta against fossil fuels represent nothing short of civilizational suicide -- and China knows it.
—Meg Hansen, National Review, 7 July 2024
The result was an abrupt psychological shift from catastrophism to optimism, and from despair to self-confidence.
—Harold James, Foreign Affairs, 20 Apr. 2021
Kyle Paoletta discusses how the pendulum of climate coverage swings between catastrophism and heavy-handed reassurance, and has a chilling effect on climate resilience.
—Violet Lucca, Harper’s Magazine , 20 Mar. 2023
What gets left out entirely are the costs of catastrophism—not just politically or socially but psychologically.
—Kyle Paoletta, Harper’s Magazine , 13 Mar. 2023
Max: My instinct in situations like this is always to avoid catastrophism, but pretty much every day, Elon Musk has woken up and done something stupider and worse than the day before.
—The Politics Of Everything, The New Republic, 14 Dec. 2022
In parallel, fears of impending ecological collapse—stoked by the end of cheap oil and the catastrophism of bestsellers like The Limits to Growth and The Population Bomb—took the environmental movement mainstream.
—Aaron Timms, The New Republic, 31 Oct. 2022
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Kathryn Schulz, The New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2024
Climate catastrophism and its vendetta against fossil fuels represent nothing short of civilizational suicide -- and China knows it.
—Meg Hansen, National Review, 7 July 2024
The result was an abrupt psychological shift from catastrophism to optimism, and from despair to self-confidence.
—Harold James, Foreign Affairs, 20 Apr. 2021
Kyle Paoletta discusses how the pendulum of climate coverage swings between catastrophism and heavy-handed reassurance, and has a chilling effect on climate resilience.
—Violet Lucca, Harper’s Magazine , 20 Mar. 2023
What gets left out entirely are the costs of catastrophism—not just politically or socially but psychologically.
—Kyle Paoletta, Harper’s Magazine , 13 Mar. 2023
Max: My instinct in situations like this is always to avoid catastrophism, but pretty much every day, Elon Musk has woken up and done something stupider and worse than the day before.
—The Politics Of Everything, The New Republic, 14 Dec. 2022
In parallel, fears of impending ecological collapse—stoked by the end of cheap oil and the catastrophism of bestsellers like The Limits to Growth and The Population Bomb—took the environmental movement mainstream.
—Aaron Timms, The New Republic, 31 Oct. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Catastrophism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/catastrophism. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share