Definition of catastrophism
: 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
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
Test Your Vocabulary
Who Knew?
-
- What is a ruelle?

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZ
Spell words. Make bears.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Words at Play
Ask the Editors
Share catastrophism
Time Traveler for catastrophism
The first known use of catastrophism was in 1869
See more words from the same year