1
as in flood
a great flow of water or of something that overwhelms
an ancient cataclysm that may have been the basis for the Flood described in the Bible
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in disaster
a sudden violent event that brings about great loss or destruction
the earthquake that struck Lisbon in 1755, killing 30,000 people, was one of the greatest cataclysms ever recorded
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in upheaval
a violent disturbance (as of the political or social order)
a social cataclysm that gave rise to a new world order
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of cataclysm
Every year, come rain or shine or strike or global cataclysm, Slow Horses delivers a new season.
—
Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 29 Oct. 2025
The travelers that interested her were not those seeking plain or ordinary pleasures but those chasing a profound personal cataclysm.
—Nicole Flattery, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
Regardless of the cataclysm that may strike an unlucky tax payer, calculations are based on the prior year’s tax return.
—Kelly Moore, Hartford Courant, 14 Aug. 2025
But more broadly, even voters who don’t subscribe to that kind of Christian fundamentalism seem fond of Trump as a figure of cataclysm.
—Literary Hub, 14 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for cataclysm
Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 29 Oct. 2025
The travelers that interested her were not those seeking plain or ordinary pleasures but those chasing a profound personal cataclysm.
—Nicole Flattery, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
Regardless of the cataclysm that may strike an unlucky tax payer, calculations are based on the prior year’s tax return.
—Kelly Moore, Hartford Courant, 14 Aug. 2025
But more broadly, even voters who don’t subscribe to that kind of Christian fundamentalism seem fond of Trump as a figure of cataclysm.
—Literary Hub, 14 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for cataclysm
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cataclysm
Noun
-
There will be a flood of stories on all fronts of the smartphone world, with the use of artificial intelligence likely one of the hottest topics alongside new phones being launched, previewed, or in the late stages of design.—
Ewan Spence,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026
-
The entire expanse floods with light, because there’s nothing to block it in the steppe.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Depending on the weather, a disaster emergency could be declared, which can help access state and federal funding.—
Madeline Bartos,
CBS News,
23 Jan. 2026
-
Camarda — who was also a member of the first space shuttle crew to launch after the 2003 Columbia disaster — is among a group of former NASA employees who do not believe that the space agency should put astronauts on board the upcoming lunar excursion.—
Jackie Wattles,
CNN Money,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Worse, perhaps, leadership in moments of upheaval requires a certain theatricality and improvisational creativity that establishment Republican politicians tend to lack.—
Walter Russell Mead,
The Atlantic,
24 Jan. 2026
-
The currency market would also experience upheaval as the euro would soar, representing a major headwind on the eurozone’s exports and economic growth, Brown added.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
On Monday, dozens more congressional Democrats agreed to join as co-sponsors of legislation seeking to impeach Noem, amid the torrent of negative headlines and controversy.—
Jennifer Jacobs,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Among a torrent of new policies that changed the landscape for seeking American citizenship, the administration also rescinded guidance on where ICE arrests could happen, leading to raids at schools, hospitals and places of worship.—
Hugh Son,
CNBC,
21 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
One of the bloodiest moments in that revolution, which deposed the last Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, and led to the rise of the incumbent Islamist regime, occurred on September 8, 1978.—
Paul Iddon,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
-
But unlike then, some of those calling for a revolution today are also pleading for American or Israeli intervention to help achieve it.—
Davood Moradian,
The Atlantic,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
While the ice apocalypse has wrapped up, dangerously cold air still has a grip on Texas.—
Mary Wasson,
Austin American Statesman,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Created in 1947, the Doomsday Clock was created to convey threats to humanity and the Earth using the imagery of apocalypse (midnight) and the contemporary idiom of nuclear explosion (countdown to zero).—
Amaris Encinas,
USA Today,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
It is estimated that there are 500,000 detectable earthquakes in the world each year.—
CA Earthquake Bot,
Sacbee.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
At an event in Little Haiti’s Caribbean Marketplace in early January to commemorate the 16th anniversary of the earthquake that struck Haiti, a long roster of local leaders, politicians and activists spoke to the crowded room.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Here’s where naming a Wall Street pro who’s a master of spotting where danger’s building may prove a hedge against a future calamity.—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
28 Jan. 2026
-
What Trump is most certainly reviewing is the viability of Noem as a Cabinet secretary, who has rapidly become a scapegoat for the predictable calamities of the high-visibility deployment of border guards as SWAT troops in urban centers.—
Chris Stirewalt,
The Hill,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cataclysm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cataclysm. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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