seismic

adjective seis·mic \ ˈsīz-mik , ˈsīs- \

Updated on: 26 Apr 2018

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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seismically

play \ˈsīz-mi-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

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Examples of seismic in a Sentence

Seismic social changes have occurred.

Recent Examples of seismic from the Web

The Bay Area was once the national leader in seismic safety.

— rong-gong lin ii, latimes.com, "Bay Area falling behind on quake safety despite booming tech economy," 22 Apr. 2018
This claim, experts said, was supported by the size of the blast, which caused a 6.3-magnitude earthquake in North Korea’s northeast, an area not known for natural seismic activity.

— anna fifield, Washington Post, "North Korea says it will suspend nuclear and missile tests, shut down test site," 20 Apr. 2018
Keeping pace with soaring rent Clark’s group and others have begun to see community land trusts (CLTs) as vital solutions in the wake of seismic shifts in the U.S. housing market.

— patrick sisson, Curbed, "A collective land-ownership model could put the brakes on rising real estate costs.," 17 Apr. 2018
This will be a pretty seismic shift for most people who follow a standard American diet; according to a 2016 report by the CDC, the average American adult’s diet is 50% carbohydrates, 16% protein, and 34% fat.

— daniel schultz, ms, SELF, "Here’s What You Should Know Before Going on the Keto Diet," 16 Apr. 2018
The way the game works, at least in terms of free agency, seemed to sustain a seismic shift in the offseason.

— vahe gregorian, kansascity, "Why former Royals Greg Holland and Lorenzo Cain treasure KC even as they move forward | The Kansas City Star," 10 Apr. 2018
The 149-year-old investment bank wasn’t alone in being slow to anticipate the seismic shift in equities.

— hugh son, Bloomberg.com, "Wall Street’s Big Banks Are Waging an All-Out Technological Arms Race," 5 Apr. 2018
At the same time, the retail sector nationwide is experiencing a seismic shift as more and more shopping moves online and stores close by the thousands.

— lorraine mirabella, baltimoresun.com, "Slow renovation of Baltimore's Harborplace may be nearing an end," 5 Apr. 2018
This was a seismic victory from an unanticipated source that will go down as one of the biggest upsets in college basketball history.

— chris johnson, SI.com, "Year-End Awards: The Best and Worst of the 2017–18 College Basketball Season," 10 Apr. 2018

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.