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
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
-
Assemblyman Alex Bores is locked in a tight race ahead of the June 23 primary and may have benefitted from a flood of attack advertising sponsored by tech billionaires who don’t like his focus on regulating artificial intelligence.—
Dave Goldiner,
New York Daily News,
13 June 2026
-
State workers from six departments were bestowed with California’s highest honor for public employees who have performed daring rescues in extreme conditions, including floods, wildfires and active shooter incidents.—
William Melhado,
Sacbee.com,
13 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
-
There were creative peaks, especially once Haynes and Derek Trucks injected new energy into the band, but also plenty of ongoing upheaval, culminating in Betts’ firing in 2000.—
David Browne,
Rolling Stone,
12 June 2026
-
Boise State failed to reach the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season and was never really in the picture, and Rice hinted at an offseason of upheaval if the Broncos wanted to be competitive in the new Pac-12.—
Shaun Goodwin
June 9,
Idaho Statesman,
9 June 2026
Noun
-
Eighty lines, one for each rainy season a composer might hope to enjoy in his lifetime, all washed away in a torrent.—
Lily Goldberg,
Pitchfork,
13 June 2026
-
The people calling them to collect often endure a torrent of verbal abuse and threats of violence.—
Lily Boyce,
New York Times,
12 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
-
And yet, most businesses cannot afford to sit out the AI revolution.—
Alexei Oreskovic,
Fortune,
16 June 2026
-
That was actually the settlement of a long-term dispute over arms Iran bought from the US before the Islamic revolution.—
Tal Shalev,
CNN Money,
15 June 2026
Noun
-
Could a jobs apocalypse be coming?—
Kamal Ahmed,
Fortune,
15 June 2026
-
First contact set on a future Earth trying to recover from a climate apocalypse.—
Brianne Kane,
Scientific American,
12 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 20 Jun. 2026.
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