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
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
And star-formation will continue for trillions of years, providing new lights in the sky and new chances for cataclysms like supernovae, kilonovae, and tidal disruption events.
—Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
Just a few things going a bit wrong could compound, all at once, into a cataclysm.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for 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
And star-formation will continue for trillions of years, providing new lights in the sky and new chances for cataclysms like supernovae, kilonovae, and tidal disruption events.
—Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
Just a few things going a bit wrong could compound, all at once, into a cataclysm.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cataclysm
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cataclysm
Noun
-
Moments later, as his father was wrapped in a silver and gold emergency thermal blanket before being placed on a stretcher, Oun wiped away a flood of tears – a release of more than a week’s worth of agonizing suspense.—
Kocha Olarn,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
-
At one point, a flood swept in and cut off the roads back to Marrakesh.—
Isaac Butler,
New Yorker,
30 May 2026
Noun
-
The offense has been a disaster, the pitching staff has sustained some key injuries and the club has spent the first two months struggling to keep its head above water.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
30 May 2026
-
The Coalition to Prevent Chemical Disasters maps and tracks every chemical disaster reported by the media on its website.—
Jason Henry,
Oc Register,
30 May 2026
Noun
-
Of course, the speculative, the surreal, the fantastic has always lent itself to intense, often other-wordly experiences of grief and upheaval.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 May 2026
-
The Town Council experienced a wave of upheaval in 2025 amid executive actions, member dismissals, resignations and public criticism.—
Noah Lyons,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 May 2026
Noun
-
After that came a torrent of stories from the garage.—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
24 May 2026
-
Generating up to 18 million pounds of thrust — twice the liftoff power of NASA's SLS moon rocket — the 33 methane-burning Raptor engines at the base of the Super Heavy first stage pushed the 407-foot-tall rocket skyward atop a brilliant torrent of blue-white fire.—
William Harwood,
CBS News,
22 May 2026
Noun
-
If one of the most abiding lessons of that war is how quickly even relatively moderate amounts of general resentment can help produce a global catastrophe, then today’s popular views give real cause for alarm.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 May 2026
-
The critic drew a parallel to Passengers and The Stepford Wives in noting that the horror of Bear’s wish is ultimately a form of captivity that the film occasionally risks framing as a romance complication rather than a moral catastrophe.—
Hannah Abraham,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
Noun
-
Yet her death helped to provoke a war that helped usher in a revolution.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
26 May 2026
-
In addition to having different capabilities and business models, the leaders of the military tech revolution, in Silicon Valley and beyond, have strong opinions about what America’s foreign and security policies should be.—
William Hartung,
Forbes.com,
24 May 2026
Noun
-
The jobs apocalypse is not yet here, but governments waiting for conclusive evidence of it will be acting too late.—
The Week UK,
TheWeek,
24 May 2026
-
The climate apocalypse isn’t around the corner after all.—
Roger Pielke Jr,
Washington Post,
20 May 2026
Noun
-
But decades of wear, tear and deferred maintenance, plus the Loma Prieta earthquake, left the facility, known as the Plunge, facing demolition, until the community rallied to raise money for a $7 million renovation.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
28 May 2026
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Those who noticed the earthquake are encouraged to report it via the USGS Felt Report form.—
CA Earthquake Bot,
Sacbee.com,
28 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cataclysm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cataclysm. Accessed 2 Jun. 2026.
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