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
Some plants are quiet survivors, outlasting cataclysms that reshaped the planet itself.
—
Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2025
The Black Death, the bubonic plague that tore into England in 1348, was — this should not need saying — a cataclysm.
—Andrew Stuttaford, National Review, 28 May 2025
The film begins, as usual, with a vision of cataclysm: a Space Needle–esque building that both collapses and explodes.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 22 May 2025
Produced and directed by Peter Yost and Michael Rohatyn, the film is about the financial cataclysm that hit New York City in 1975, when the powers that be figured out that the city was $6 billion in debt.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cataclysm
Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2025
The Black Death, the bubonic plague that tore into England in 1348, was — this should not need saying — a cataclysm.
—Andrew Stuttaford, National Review, 28 May 2025
The film begins, as usual, with a vision of cataclysm: a Space Needle–esque building that both collapses and explodes.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 22 May 2025
Produced and directed by Peter Yost and Michael Rohatyn, the film is about the financial cataclysm that hit New York City in 1975, when the powers that be figured out that the city was $6 billion in debt.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cataclysm
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cataclysm
Noun
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Currently, the death toll from the July 4 floods has reached at least 132 people, with over 160 people listed as missing.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
14 July 2025
-
The Baltimore area is under a flood watch, as thunderstorms and damaging winds are possible Monday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service.—
Baltimore Sun staff,
Baltimore Sun,
14 July 2025
Noun
-
Concerns among Democrats may have been expected in California, given the state’s liberal tilt and the widespread and relentless government upheaval since President Trump took office in January.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 July 2025
-
Uranus is the harbinger of change and upheaval, the disruptor that challenges the status quo.—
Valerie Mesa,
People.com,
7 July 2025
Noun
-
Low-water crossings and small creeks became raging torrents, sweeping away roads, cabins, and vehicles.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 July 2025
-
Recent flash flooding in Texas, New Mexico and North Carolina is highlighting the extreme dangers that these raging torrents of water can bring to communities in a matter of minutes.—
July 9,
CBS News,
9 July 2025
Noun
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For these communities and others like them (our thoughts are with the people of Central Texas), several days of disaster usually means years of arduous reconstruction.—
Louis Gritzo,
Forbes.com,
15 July 2025
-
Additionally, the general public came to mistrust and reject nuclear energy projects, further disillusioned by the Three Mile Island disaster.—
Time,
Time,
15 July 2025
Noun
-
Johnny Rotten) — inarguably the most iconic figure of the Seventies U.K. punk revolution — and the band was attempting to move forward without him following years of acrimony, nasty barbs in the press, and a massive legal row that brought band tensions to an all-time high.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
12 July 2025
-
In fact, Prime members can snag this $400 stick vacuum with an impressive motor speed of 85,000 revolutions per minute for a whopping 73 percent off now.—
Maggie Horton,
People.com,
11 July 2025
Noun
-
If the answer was yes, then the jobs apocalypse might arrive sooner than even Amodei had predicted.—
Billy Perrigo,
Time,
27 June 2025
-
Like yesterday, and the days before, she is interred in the ground up to her waist, the afterthought of some unnamed apocalypse.—
Han Ong,
New Yorker,
22 June 2025
Noun
-
On Alaska's Kenai Peninsula, a flurry of small earthquakes shook the Iliamna volcano on June 15.—
Elizabeth Weise,
USA Today,
14 July 2025
-
While much of America has moved past COVID-19, the pandemic that hit the industry like an earthquake continues to experience aftershocks.—
Alexander Coolidge,
The Enquirer,
13 July 2025
Noun
-
As the climate crisis accelerates, producing more frequent and devastating tragedies, our leaders must offer more than thoughts and prayers.—
Brian Recker,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 July 2025
-
Blakely, along with 26 other Camp Mystic girls and counselors, perished in the deluge – forcing her family to endure yet another unfathomable tragedy.—
Pamela Brown,
CNN Money,
18 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cataclysm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cataclysm. Accessed 25 Jul. 2025.
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