Definition of seismic
1 : of, subject to, or caused by an earthquake; also : of or relating to an earth vibration caused by something else (such as an explosion or the impact of a meteorite)
2 : of or relating to a vibration on a celestial body (such as the moon) comparable to a seismic event on earth
3 : having a strong or widespread impact : earthshaking seismic social changes
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Examples of seismic in a Sentence
Seismic social changes have occurred.
Recent Examples of seismic from the Web
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The observatories just have to sit and wait, bouncing laser beams between mirrors, ready to detect a tiny shift that signals a seismic event billions of light-years away.
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The seismic tremors from Libya’s revolution in 2011 reverberated across geographical and generational borders, in Manchester’s sizable Libyan population — the largest outside Libya — and in the Abedi family as well.
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In response to their call for help, the BOEM devised a way to make a high-resolution map by combining the data from several 3-D seismic surveys that exploration companies had done in the area.
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Trump’s quip aside, the president has said little about publicly about seismic safety, an issue of big concern in California and the West Coast.
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A version of the ShakeAlert system has been undergoing testing but still needs to have more seismic sensors installed in Northern California, Oregon and Washington.
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But orphan drugs have also caused a seismic shift in treatment costs.
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The SERNAGEOMIN tweeted that there is a seismic signal currently suggesting that lava is erupting from the main vent of Calbuco.
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A device capable of triggering massive seismic movements sounded hopelessly sci-fi and far-fetched.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'seismic'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of seismic
Greek seismos shock, earthquake, from seiein to shake; probably akin to Avestan thwaēshō fear
Other Geology Terms
anthracite, boulder, cwm, erratic, igneous, intrusive, mesa, sedimentary, silt, swale
SEISMIC Defined for English Language Learners
seismic
playDefinition of seismic for English Language Learners
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: of, relating to, or caused by an earthquake
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: very great or important
Learn More about seismic
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Spanish Central: Translation of seismic Nglish: Translation of seismic for Spanish speakers
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