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 catastrophe
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
Unlike during the pandemic, a cataclysm that played no favorites, the trade war is fast becoming a consumer marketing minefield.
—
Greg Petro, Forbes.com, 9 June 2025
Dyer’s father was traumatized by the austerity of growing up in England between two military cataclysms, and his daily satisfaction is bound in his ability to pinch pences.
—Daniel Felsenthal, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2025
The Leftovers, which ran for four seasons on three seasons, followed the aftermath of a global cataclysm that results in the unexplained disappearance of 140 million people, finds Kevin (Theroux), a police officer and father, relocated to a small Texas town from Mapleton, New York.
—Esther Kang, People.com, 2 June 2025
The first five mass extinctions were triggered by cataclysms such as super volcano eruptions and the impact of a massive asteroid.
—Keridwen Cornelius, New York Times, 3 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for cataclysm
Greg Petro, Forbes.com, 9 June 2025
Dyer’s father was traumatized by the austerity of growing up in England between two military cataclysms, and his daily satisfaction is bound in his ability to pinch pences.
—Daniel Felsenthal, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2025
The Leftovers, which ran for four seasons on three seasons, followed the aftermath of a global cataclysm that results in the unexplained disappearance of 140 million people, finds Kevin (Theroux), a police officer and father, relocated to a small Texas town from Mapleton, New York.
—Esther Kang, People.com, 2 June 2025
The first five mass extinctions were triggered by cataclysms such as super volcano eruptions and the impact of a massive asteroid.
—Keridwen Cornelius, New York Times, 3 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for cataclysm
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cataclysm
Noun
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The text records royal decrees including tax relief during poor Nile floods; donations to temples; the creation of a new priestly office; a festival tied to the heliacal rising of Sirius; and a calendar reform introducing a leap day every four years.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Sep. 2025
-
Take the necessary actions to protect flood-prone property.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
14 Sep. 2025
Noun
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He has been put in charge of a fragile minority government prone to challenges, demands and upheaval from parties on both the far left and right — as the ousting of Bayrou and his predecessor, Michel Barnier, less than a year ago, has proven.—
Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Through two of Macron’s presidential terms, where upheaval has been the norm, Lecornu has been an unusually stable presence around the cabinet table.—
Joseph Ataman,
CNN Money,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
But then the torrent of anonymous text messages that would put their relationship to the test began flooding in.—
Liam Quinn,
PEOPLE,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Polish airspace was violated by at least 19 Russian drones overnight, the country's prime minister said, in a torrent of activity that triggered a response from the NATO country's air force, which scrambled and downed several of the drones.—
Will Gretsky,
ABC News,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Bureau staff were told the group itself, already gutted as part of mass layoffs at the State Department in July, would refocus on migration diplomacy and disaster response rather than its traditional refugee focus.—
Ted Hesson,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
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That question frames an episode that opens not with battle, but with the kind of stillness that comes before disaster.—
JP Mangalindan,
Time,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Understanding the future of technology—and the wild imagination, hubris, and upheaval that accompany every technological revolution—has been a preoccupation among Atlantic writers for generations.—
Alex Reisner,
The Atlantic,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Interestingly, it was found spinning at 100 revolutions per second.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Does this make Musk’s dreams of human transformation and societal apocalypse more likely to become reality?—
Sonja Fritzsche,
The Conversation,
9 Sep. 2025
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The Dead Don't Die In Jim Jarmusch's absurdist apocalypse comedy, flesh-craving zombies raid the once-tranquil town of Centerville, picking off its residents one by one.—
James Mercadante,
PEOPLE,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Indian leaders have also downplayed the area’s earthquake risk while citing tsunamis as a reason why the Great Nicobarese indigenous people living in government camps cannot return to their ancestral villages.—
M. Rajshekhar,
Time,
11 Sep. 2025
-
The earthquake shook at a depth of 9 miles, with its epicenter roughly 11 miles west of Imperial Beach.—
CA Earthquake Bot,
Sacbee.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The statement further addressed the context of the tribute, comparing it to other moments of silence following tragedies.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
13 Sep. 2025
-
Voters should be able to see, right away, who is funding their representatives, especially in the wake of tragedy.—
John J. Donohue,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cataclysm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cataclysm. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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