variants
or cataclysmic
1
as in disastrous
bringing about ruin or misfortune
a cataclysmal decision to plunge the nation into war
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in devastating
causing or tending to cause destruction
a cataclysmal landslide that virtually wiped out the village
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3
as in turbulent
marked by sudden or violent disturbance
the French Revolution was one of the great cataclysmal events in modern history
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cataclysmal
Adjective
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Skipping this governance checkpoint essentially means letting people create powerful and untested tools for decision making, which could be disastrous to an organization’s future success.—
Larry English,
Forbes.com,
26 June 2025 -
Trading away Jokic would be disastrous, and the thought of it is just as bad.—
Ricardo Klein,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 June 2025
Adjective
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Last Thursday, Trump gave the regime in Tehran an ultimatum: The mullahs needed to conclusively abandon their nuclear enrichment program or face devastating American strikes within the next two weeks.—
The Editors,
National Review,
22 June 2025
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Despite these devastating effects, access to specialized treatment is limited.—
Julienne Verdi,
Boston Herald,
22 June 2025
Adjective
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Even Zelensky – who has had a turbulent relationship with Trump – came away with wins.—
Joseph Ataman,
CNN Money,
25 June 2025
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Reina, Fil-Am team center back, brings us on this turbulent journey, culminating in an intimate trip to her grandmother’s hometown in the Philippines.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
25 June 2025
Adjective
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The United States has struck a crippling, but not fatal blow at Iran’s nuclear weapons aspirations.—
Brett Schaefer,
National Review,
23 June 2025
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And the mid-Atlantic recently saw its first fatal case of Heartland Virus.—
Pien Huang,
NPR,
23 June 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Cite this Entry
“Cataclysmal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cataclysmal. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.
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