apocalypses

noun

plural of apocalypse
as in disasters
a sudden violent event that brings about great loss or destruction the fear that the next global pandemic could be an apocalypse of biblical proportions

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of apocalypses There’s a lot of apocalypses happening now in this world, major ones. — Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 8 Oct. 2026 And a lot of the pseudepigrapha, like the fake gospels and fake apocalypses, fill in gaps in the record that can serve latter-day, post-biblical purposes. — JSTOR Daily, 16 Oct. 2025 The audience for 2025’s reel of zombie apocalypses lives in a world shaped, in part, by Americans’ refusal to accept an aging Joe Biden’s ineligibility for President. — Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for apocalypses
  1. disasters
  2. catastrophes
  3. tragedies
  4. calamities
Noun
  • Coffee spills, muddy shoes, pet mishaps, and everyday messes don’t have to turn into decorating disasters.
    — Ethan Stone October 9, Idaho Statesman, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Rosatom says this inherent design prevents severe disasters, removing any need to evacuate local communities during an accident.
    — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of disasters
Noun
  • Fee’s attempt to serve as savior will only trigger further catastrophes.
    — Garth Greenwell, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2026
  • An institution built explicitly to neutralize biological catastrophes is now at the center of one.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of catastrophes
Noun
  • At the concert, Mastodon also appeared as a band pushing past the tragedies, and was re-energized and refocused with a new lineup.
    — Steve Appleford, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026
  • At the time, a bill to ban carriages was before the City Council, but these tragedies bolstered its political momentum.
    — Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of tragedies
Noun
  • To avert future calamities, the forest outside Bordeaux must be thinned and its fire breaks widened, said Arthur Guérin-Turcq, a Sorbonne University geographer whose family cultivates pines near Le Porge.
    — Michael Finnegan, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Indeed, conflict and calamities are major factors in financial repression.
    — Jason Ma, Fortune, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of calamities

Browse Nearby Words

apocalypse
apocalypses
apocalyptic
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Apocalypses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/apocalypses. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of zenith

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 16
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All