variants
or cataclysmic
1
as in disastrous
bringing about ruin or misfortune
a cataclysmal decision to plunge the nation into war
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in devastating
causing or tending to cause destruction
a cataclysmal landslide that virtually wiped out the village
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in turbulent
marked by sudden or violent disturbance
the French Revolution was one of the great cataclysmal events in modern history
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 cataclysmal
This cataclysmic event would have melted and thoroughly mixed the entire planet, thereby resetting its chemical composition.
—
Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 14 Oct. 2025
With war looming and chaos consuming the kingdom — drawing in the ruthless kings of other Scandinavian countries and even a powerful English ruler — the stage is set for a thundering, cataclysmic and utterly magical new Norse saga.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 10 Oct. 2025
There's also the brute force approach, triggering chains of cataclysmic explosions to get the deconstruction rolling.
—Alan Bradley, Space.com, 7 Oct. 2025
One of them was Segar, his former coworker, who was in the middle of his workday and didn’t have the bandwidth to engage with Jon’s fantasies about a cataclysmic event.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 1 Oct. 2025
But that is how the future always feels during times of cataclysmic conflict.
—Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 30 Sep. 2025
In the cataclysmic civil war at Kuru-kshetra, both the divine Pandava brothers and their treacherous cousins, the Kauravas, end up breaking the rules of war to achieve victory at any cost.
—Seamus Sullivan
september 29, Literary Hub, 29 Sep. 2025
More than two dozen girls and counselors died after torrential rainfall and cataclysmic flooding ripped through parts of the camp in the predawn hours of July 4.
—Holly Yan, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2025
Twenty-one years is a long time to run a restaurant nightly, through the Great Recession of 2008, through vandalism during the Black Lives Matter protests, through the COVID-19 epidemic, a cataclysmic event that caused tens of thousands of restaurants nationally to shut their doors for good.
—Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 23 Sep. 2025
Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 14 Oct. 2025
With war looming and chaos consuming the kingdom — drawing in the ruthless kings of other Scandinavian countries and even a powerful English ruler — the stage is set for a thundering, cataclysmic and utterly magical new Norse saga.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 10 Oct. 2025
There's also the brute force approach, triggering chains of cataclysmic explosions to get the deconstruction rolling.
—Alan Bradley, Space.com, 7 Oct. 2025
One of them was Segar, his former coworker, who was in the middle of his workday and didn’t have the bandwidth to engage with Jon’s fantasies about a cataclysmic event.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 1 Oct. 2025
But that is how the future always feels during times of cataclysmic conflict.
—Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 30 Sep. 2025
In the cataclysmic civil war at Kuru-kshetra, both the divine Pandava brothers and their treacherous cousins, the Kauravas, end up breaking the rules of war to achieve victory at any cost.
—Seamus Sullivan
september 29, Literary Hub, 29 Sep. 2025
More than two dozen girls and counselors died after torrential rainfall and cataclysmic flooding ripped through parts of the camp in the predawn hours of July 4.
—Holly Yan, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2025
Twenty-one years is a long time to run a restaurant nightly, through the Great Recession of 2008, through vandalism during the Black Lives Matter protests, through the COVID-19 epidemic, a cataclysmic event that caused tens of thousands of restaurants nationally to shut their doors for good.
—Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 23 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cataclysmal
Adjective
-
Any such move before elections would likely be disastrous for Milei.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
12 Oct. 2025
-
Finally, as ever, the potential for rash, impulsive decisions with disastrous long-term consequences is never out of mind with this franchise.—
John Hollinger,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Just in the past two winters, deceptively average rain and snowfall totals statewide masked the extremely dry conditions in Southern California that contributed to devastating fires as well as flood events across the state from powerful atmospheric river events.—
Anna Skinner,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Oct. 2025
-
The devastating military campaign has flattened large swaths of Gaza, displacing thousands of Gazans and sparking a humanitarian crisis and intensifying international backlash.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
13 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The Nintendo Switch era has been turbulent for the franchise, to put it mildly.—
Ryan Gaur,
Rolling Stone,
14 Oct. 2025
-
Now, in an increasingly turbulent world, those barriers are going back up.—
Gordon G. Chang,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Mineral wealth such as gold offers one solution—though diverting labor and resources from more sustainable industries could prove catastrophic if prices suddenly drop.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
15 Oct. 2025
-
This event might have been quick and catastrophic, causing a misalignment of the protoplanetary disk with the star.—
Paul Sutter,
Space.com,
14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The illness is rarely fatal, and most patients recover within a week, though some may experience persistent joint pain, authorities continued.—
Jon Haworth,
ABC News,
15 Oct. 2025
-
Early intervention While uterine cancer can be fatal, an early diagnosis means potentially faster treatment and better outcomes.—
Khloe Quill,
FOXNews.com,
15 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cataclysmal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cataclysmal. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share