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 re-imaginging effort is spurred by state seismic regulations that require older hospitals to receive major earthquake-proofing upgrades by 2030 or close down, said Robert Clossin, UC San Diego’s director of physical and community planning.
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Natural earthquakes create different seismic patterns from ones caused by humans.
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The alliance and other groups argued that the company should be required to do seismic-reflection testing to fully determine the risks of the wastewater storage.
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Still, her career path never approached all the seismic projections.
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That is a seismic boom for an office that typically sees just a handful of such asks each week— if that, says Mircalla Wozniak, an elections division spokeswoman.
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In 2015, Barack Obama had considered allowing the use of seismic airguns, but was met with staunch opposition from both scientists and local communities.
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In addition to the wildfire threat, seismic experts and the news media increasingly have warned that a major Southern California earthquake is inevitable.
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A same-sex relationship where they weren’t defined by who they were romantically involved with, but that just being a part of their identity — along with being able to summon torrential tidal waves and blast seismic attacks against bad guys.
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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