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
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Recent Examples of apocalypses
Based on Thornton Wilder’s The Skin of Our Teeth, the surrealist musical follows one nuclear family across thousands of years and three apocalypses.
—
Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 10 Dec. 2025
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
Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 10 Dec. 2025
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
Noun
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Through skill, sacrifice and professionalism, our first responders have narrowly avoided major disasters, including the recent high-rise fire in Towson that could have ended far worse without rapid response and coordination on scene.—
Nick Stewart,
Baltimore Sun,
9 May 2026
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That could leave states on the hook for millions of dollars to rebuild roads, schools and other infrastructure after tornadoes, floods and other disasters that do not cause enough widespread damage to meet the new criteria for federal assistance.—
Lauren Sommer,
NPR,
7 May 2026
Noun
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California is being hammered with more frequent and devastating catastrophes, and that’s making the entire insurance market riskier and more expensive, exacerbating mistakes made by government and the private sector alike.—
Ben Allen,
Oc Register,
2 May 2026
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What was in the hearts of the humans who diarized catastrophes on the Elbe’s river rocks seven centuries ago—and in 2018?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Early in his life, Short experienced multiple family tragedies in a short span of time, including the death of his older brother David in a car accident in 1962 when the actor was only 12-years-old.—
Ashley Hume,
FOXNews.com,
11 May 2026
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Everyone was in a hurry to move forward into a newly peaceful world, a world without the tragedies of war abroad and the curse of sickness at home.—
Fran Moreland Johns,
The Atlantic,
11 May 2026
Noun
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The winter had been a season of calamities, with one emergency or challenge after another.—
Moira McCarthy,
Boston Herald,
10 May 2026
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Farmers markets — that humble and charming throwback to a bygone era — are also struggling with higher fuel prices, after weathering the economic calamities of the pandemic and other misfortunes.—
Andrew J. Campa,
Los Angeles Times,
9 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Apocalypses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/apocalypses. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
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