cataclysm

noun

ˈka-tə-ˌkli-zəm How to pronounce cataclysm (audio)
Definition of cataclysmnext
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

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 cataclysm And of course, anything living on the site has likely been wiped out by the neighborhood cataclysm. — Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 31 July 2026 Jacobsen has assembled plenty of relevant precedents for an unprecedented cataclysm. — Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 25 July 2026 But although few, then, could possibly have foreseen the cataclysm of the twentieth-century wars, the hatred was already there in the anti-semitism of old France, in the divisions over Dreyfus. — Literary Hub, 17 July 2026 This was a mini cataclysm for 15,000 USAID workers all around the world. — Fatma Tanis, NPR, 3 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for cataclysm
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cataclysm
  1. flood
  2. disaster
  3. upheaval
  4. torrent
  5. catastrophe
  6. revolution
  7. apocalypse
  8. earthquake
Noun
  • That bypass channel will serve as the flood control element of Panther Island.
    — Emily Holshouser, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Boulder argued the companies and a trade group knew decades ago that fossil fuels would hurt the environment, raising the risk of floods, extreme heat and wildfires.
    — Carrie Johnson, NPR, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of flood
Noun
  • Although major questions remained unanswered on Thursday about the attacker and his motive, the story of ordinary passengers saving the FlyDubai flight from disaster has quickly become the stuff of legend.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Second were unarmed passengers who subdued the armed attacker before one pulled back on the yoke to level the aircraft, drawing on knowledge from an air-disaster documentary.
    — Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of disaster
Noun
  • The urgency of their push comes as major European companies undergo huge job losses — Volkswagen plans to cut 100,000 workers — which experts have said could drive political upheaval.
    — Morgan Chalfant, semafor.com, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The turnaround has revived some fans’ hopes, but years of coaching and front-office upheaval and the departure of popular players have eroded trust.
    — Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of upheaval
Noun
  • Such terrain is already conducive to flash flooding, sudden torrents that can sweep down canyons and other low-lying areas with little warning.
    — Megan Janetsky, Chicago Tribune, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Since the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision unleashed unlimited torrents of money into political campaigns, elections are now largely financed by big money donors and super PACs.
    — Dr. Michael Good, Hartford Courant, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of torrent
Noun
  • An institution built explicitly to neutralize biological catastrophes is now at the center of one.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 5 Oct. 2026
  • With climate change making natural disasters far more frequent, some consumers are turning to smaller off-grid electric networks to generate power in the event of a catastrophe.
    — Justin Klawans, TheWeek, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of catastrophe
Noun
  • The revolution has been crushed, tens of thousands remain imprisoned, and economic hardship has broken the backs of Egyptians.
    — Abdelrahman ElGendy, Time, 6 Oct. 2026
  • The roots of that revolution were first planted in that warm soil by Cooke, who died in 1997, and Rothenberg six decades ago.
    — Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of revolution
Noun
  • The film is a satire about an impending climate change apocalypse that’s triggered by the drilling operations of oil tycoon Digger Rockwell, played by Cruise, who looks nearly unrecognizable clad in prosthetics and graying hair.
    — Samantha Masunaga, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2026
  • In it, Cruise disappears behind makeup and prosthetics into the role of Texas oilman Digger Rockwell, whose company sparks an ecological disaster that could end in nuclear apocalypse.
    — Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of apocalypse
Noun
  • The earthquake's epicenter was approximately 10 miles east-northeast of Willows and occurred at a depth of 13 miles.
    — CA Earthquake Bot, Sacbee.com, 2 Oct. 2026
  • By 1926, Caltech was running the Seismo Lab with the Carnegie Institution, where seismologists like Beno Gutenberg and Charles Richter would deepen our understanding of earthquakes.
    — Danny Robb, JSTOR Daily, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of earthquake

Browse Nearby Words

catachrestic
cataclysm
cataclysmal
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Cite this Entry

“Cataclysm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cataclysm. Accessed 8 Oct. 2026.

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