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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
These cataclysms locked inside the Delaware Basin more than 46 billion barrels of technically recoverable crude oil, and 281 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.
—
Literary Hub, 30 Apr. 2026
Every play in the Century Cycle has its roots in the cataclysm of enslavement, but Joe Turner takes place with Reconstruction still close in the rearview.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 26 Apr. 2026
Only a species suffering from terminal main character syndrome would, when describing intimately human experiences like love, reach for the language of global cataclysm.
—Jessica Kiang, Variety, 17 Apr. 2026
Likely caused by volcanic eruptions in present-day Siberia, the End-Permian cataclysm eventually wiped out around 57 percent of all biological life, including 70 percent of terrestrial vertebrates.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 9 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cataclysm
Literary Hub, 30 Apr. 2026
Every play in the Century Cycle has its roots in the cataclysm of enslavement, but Joe Turner takes place with Reconstruction still close in the rearview.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 26 Apr. 2026
Only a species suffering from terminal main character syndrome would, when describing intimately human experiences like love, reach for the language of global cataclysm.
—Jessica Kiang, Variety, 17 Apr. 2026
Likely caused by volcanic eruptions in present-day Siberia, the End-Permian cataclysm eventually wiped out around 57 percent of all biological life, including 70 percent of terrestrial vertebrates.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 9 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cataclysm
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cataclysm
Noun
-
When heavy rain occurs, there is a potential for flooding, particularly in areas that are low-lying or prone to floods.—
STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
20 June 2026
-
The alleged gunman had been spotted all over the continent in the last few months of his life, according to a flood of reports fielded by the Warren Commission.—
Kaitlyn Tiffany,
The Atlantic,
20 June 2026
Noun
-
Aemond is a murderer, Aegon is a rapist; if either of them ends up on the Iron Throne for good, that would be a disaster.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
19 June 2026
-
On the dusty backroads of Radiator Springs, where Lightning McQueen and his pals live, a shower of meteors threatened to bring destruction upon the quarter-size cars in a scene that disaster movie king Roland Emmerich would endorse.—
Sandra Gonzalez,
CNN Money,
19 June 2026
Noun
-
Yet at a time of perpetual upheaval in Hollywood, the unflashy Meledandri has created and shaped one of Hollywood’s most consistent blockbuster-making operations.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 June 2026
-
Earth-impacting shrapnel from those primordial upheavals may have helped seed our planet with the precursors for life, delivering water and organic compounds from the dark, icy depths of the outer solar system.—
Lee Billings,
Scientific American,
18 June 2026
Noun
-
After Bores entered the race, super PACs tied to investors in ChatGPT maker OpenAI unleashed a torrent of spending aimed at torpedoing his campaign.—
Eric McDaniel,
NPR,
22 June 2026
-
After applying steady pressure against Haiti in the opening minutes, Brazil broke through with an offensive torrent.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
20 June 2026
Noun
-
Horrible things happen all the time, crises and catastrophes that defy language and imagination.—
Karen Valby,
Vanity Fair,
16 June 2026
-
But if your concerned friend starts worrying about AI data centers literally causing a worldwide water catastrophe, the actual numbers involved should hopefully put those worries to rest.—
Kyle Orland,
ArsTechnica,
12 June 2026
Noun
-
Shares have jumped 80% in the year to date as an ongoing memory supply crunch accelerates the adoption of lithography equipment for the production of semiconductors required to power the AI revolution.—
Liz Napolitano,
CNBC,
22 June 2026
-
Haitian soldiers seasoned on American battlefields during the revolution later sparked Haiti’s overthrow of French colonial rule, depriving France of its most profitable slave colony and ending one of the most brutal enslavement of human beings in modern world history.—
Paul Vallas,
Chicago Tribune,
22 June 2026
Noun
-
And just when things could not look rosier, the SaaS apocalypse occurred.—
Steve Banker,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2026
-
Not for the faint of heart, California’s Salton Sea conjures a sense of apocalypse.—
Chelsee Lowe,
Travel + Leisure,
18 June 2026
Noun
-
It is estimated that there are 500,000 detectable earthquakes in the world each year.—
CA Earthquake Bot,
Sacbee.com,
19 June 2026
-
The researchers say the finding highlights how much remains unknown about the behavior of large earthquakes and the complex interactions between seismic waves and tectonic plates.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
18 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cataclysm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cataclysm. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.
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